MS Dhoni is Chennai Super Kings captain again: The whats and whys of a dramatic move
India Today
Ravindra Jadeja has handed back Chennai Super Kings' (CSK) captaincy to MS Dhoni midway though the 2022 Indian Premier League (IPL).
March 24, 2022: MS Dhoni stepped down as captain of Chennai Super Kings two days before the start of the IPL. The sudden announcement left fans shocked and there would soon be emotional tributes. Dhoni, we were told, had handed over the captaincy to Ravindra Jadeja. CSK started the season as defending champions and then lost the opening match to Kolkata Knight Riders. The only silver lining in that defeat was MS Dhoni's half-century.
April 30, 2022: A little over a later, CSK are all but out of the running for a spot in the playoffs after six defeats in eight matches. Ravindra Jadeja, Dhoni's successor, has had a horrible time as captain and player. He has never been exceptional in the IPL - his best season with the ball dates back to 2014 when he finished with 19 wickets and he has scored only two half-centuries in 208 matches. But in 2022, Jadeja has looked totally out of sorts. Sometime between Gujarat Titans' victory over Royal Challengers Bangalore and the start of the RR-MI match, CSK said Jadeja had handed the captaincy back to MS Dhoni, who accepted the responsibility again in the larger interest of the team.
All through CSK's debacle this summer, the only silver lining has been MS Dhoni's form with the bat. That unbeaten 29 to beat Mumbai Indians will be part of cricketing folklore in the years to come. There is Mukesh Choudhary to talk about in the CSK camp, but never mind that. "Mahi maar rahaa hai" has started to sound like an advertising campaign for India's most celebrated captain.
Looking back at the last one month and tracking CSK's performances in the IPL, you would almost feel sorry for Ravindra Jadeja, one of the best all-rounders in world cricket. Just before the season started, Jadeja punished Sri Lanka with an unbeaten 175 and then took 9 wickets in the Test to give India a massive win.
In the IPL, Ravindra Jadeja has looked lost, confused and like a man in the shadow of his more illustrious predecessor.
Towering over MS Dhoni is not easy. It's almost impossible and Jadeja failed to do it.
The transition was smoother in the Indian team. After MS Dhoni retired from Test cricket, Virat Kohli built up the team from scratch and made India a world-beating machine. When Dhoni stepped down as India's shorter formats captain, he still retained that aura and guided the spinners while Virat Kohli went about his business of scoring runs and bringing in his own personality to the side.
