Heading into their 13th edition of the Indian Premier League, Chennai Super Kings announced their first change in full-time captaincy as Mahendra Singh Dhoni handed over the reins to Ravindra Jadeja.
It marked the end of a glorious era for the Super Kings. After being appointed as captain ahead of the first edition of the T20 league back in 2008, Dhoni led CSK to four IPL titles and established them as the second-most successful team in the history of the tournament.
Chennai were suspended from the league in 2016 and ’17 but in the 12 seasons they have competed in up until now, they reached the playoffs a staggering 11 times. No other team comes close to them in this regard. The only season they didn’t make it to the playoffs was in 2020, but they bounced back in style by going all the way last year.
Dhoni’s legacy as a leader can’t merely be summed up by numbers, though. The 40-year-old has helped CSK cultivate arguably the most loyal fan base and brought out the best in players like Jadeja, Suresh Raina, Dwayne Bravo, Deepak Chahar, Ambati Rayudu, Shane Watson, and many more.
Now, having retired from international cricket in 2020 and achieving everything there is as captain, Dhoni, as CSK termed it, has passed the baton to Jadeja.
“MS Dhoni has decided to hand over the leadership of Chennai Super Kings and picked Ravindra Jadeja to lead the team,” said CSK in a statement. “Jadeja, who has been an integral part of Chennai Super Kings since 2012, will only be the third player to lead CSK. Dhoni will continue to represent Chennai Super Kings this season and beyond.”
Jadeja said it best when he acknowledged the massive responsibility on his shoulders going forward. In a video posted by CSK on social media, the 33-year-old admitted he is grateful that Dhoni is still around as a player.
“I’m feeling good (becoming captain) but at the same time I know I have to fill in big boots,” said Jadeja. “Mahi bhai has set a big legacy and I need to carry that forward. But I don’t need to worry too much because he is still here. He will be my go-to person for whatever questions I have.”
Jadeja’s clarity about the challenge in front of him would be heartening for CSK supporters. But his appointment as Dhoni’s successor does raise a few questions.
Curious decision
There is no denying the all-rounder’s value as a cricketer. As Shane Warne famously said, he is a rockstar on the field. A gun fielder, wicket-taking bowler, and hard-hitting lower order batter. But captaincy, as anyone who has followed the game will tell you, is a different beast.
Soon after Chennai’s announcement on Thursday, senior statistician Mohandas Menon pointed out that the last time Jadeja captained a cricket team was in October 2007, when he led the Saurashtra Under-19 side in the Vinoo Mankad Trophy. This was about a year-and-a-half before he made his senior international debut.
That is a long, long time playing the game without leading a side. Jadeja has been a constant at the highest level of the game for over 13 years, but he has never really been known to be a part of the leadership group of any of his teams.
Of course, there is no real proof to suggest that Jadeja won’t succeed as captain. The game has numerous examples of inexperienced leaders turning into successful ones. However, we usually see younger players get that sort of backing. Rohit Sharma, Shreyas Iyer and Rishabh Pant are some examples of this.
Chennai, in fact, is known for playing the waiting game and trusting their long-term plans. In that sense, Ruturaj Gaikwad would have perhaps been a contender to take over as captain. Dhoni’s presence on the field for a season or two (or more) would’ve helped groom the 25-year-old. But CSK have gone with Jadeja, and the decision is indeed a curious one.
In life, one often has to unlearn to succeed. Jadeja might need to do something similar going forward as Chennai Super Kings captain. It isn’t just about his lack of experience as captain, it’s also about all his experience not being captain. All the years spent being just another player on the park… he will need to turn over a new leaf.
Of course, Dhoni’s helping hand and the management’s patience will also ease things but what should definitely work in Jadeja’s favour is that he is probably at the top of his game at the moment.
His fielding and bowling are as good as they ever were and his batting, especially in white-ball cricket, has come a long way in the last few years. There’s a certain amount of authority every captain needs to command as a player and he has that.
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