NEW DELHI: Ahead of the
IPL 2024
, cricket fans dealt a major shock when MS Dhoni decided to step down as Chennai Super Kings skipper and hand over the reins to
Ruturaj Gaikwad
.
The announcement marked the end of Dhoni's long reign at the helm of CSK, during which he led Chennai to five IPL crowns.
IPL 2024 Points Table
CSK had a great start to the IPL 2024 season as they clinched two consecutive wins in their opening games after beating Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Gujarat Titans.
Former India head coach
Ravi Shastri
expressed his opinion about Dhoni's move, emphasizing that it hinges on his fitness and how his body manages the demands for him to compete throughout the entire 2024 season.
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"This is MS Dhoni's last season okay, very clear. You know depends how his body copes with everything, whether he plays the whole season or doesn't play the whole season, only time will tell," Shastri said on Star Sports.
Shastri then discussed Dhoni granting Ruturaj the freedom to express his captaincy style, intervening only when necessary to assist the latter.
"But what he has done is that he said, I don't want to give the job to Ruturaj halfway through the tournament. Be in the hot seat from the outside, I am watching from the back, if he needs some help I'm there to help him out but I think as compared to the year when Jadeja was captain, MS will take more and more of the backseat and probably contribute just in a little way between the drinks break or something like that," Shastri added.