'Jadeja went into...': CSK coach after Gaikwad replaces Dhoni as captain

CHENNAI: Two years ago, when MS Dhoni handed over the captaincy reins to

Ravindra Jadeja

, things didn’t go too well for CSK. But coach

Stephen Fleming

feels this time, things will be handled better as Ruturaj Gaikwad takes charge of the hugely successful IPL franchise.
“To be honest, the leadership group was not ready for Dhoni to step aside last time around. This year, we will be working very hard to have a leadership plan in place,” Fleming said ahead of CSK’s practice session at the MA Chidambaram Stadium on Thursday evening.

The coach said Ruturaj was being groomed for the job, but it was Dhoni’s call at the end of the day.

“MS took the call after much consideration. After last year, when we won the title, he felt that this was the best time (to hand the baton over),” Fleming said.

After Dhoni announced his decision in the dressing room, “there was a bit of a celebration around the new captain,” Fleming added.
But the Jadeja captaincy experience had left a bit of a bad taste in the mouth when the allrounder was removed from the job after a string of losses in 2022.

But Fleming insisted that it wouldn’t have any effect whatsoever as a young Ruturaj gets his promotion.
“Jadeja went into CSK folklore with those two shots that he played in the last two balls of the last IPL. Jadeja is a tough character and there is a strong component of leadership in him and Ruturaj will definitely use his help,” Fleming said.
When asked about the reasons behind tilting the balance in Ruturaj’s favour, the coach added: “Ruturaj is very self assured, he has a great approach for fellow payers and is well-respected in the group.”

While the burden of captaincy has never really bothered Dhoni, the 42-year-old’s decision to hand over the leadership duties may just allow him to play with more freedom than it has been over the last few years.
Fleming feels that what stands out for Dhoni is his “desire”.
“His body is stronger than it was last season and the most amazing thing about him is his durability and desire. His ability to come back time and time again is almost contagious. Add to that the skills that he still has and he has been hitting the ball beautifully at the nets,” Fleming said.