24 March 2022MS Dhoni stepped down as the captain of Chennai Super Kings two days before the start of IPL. The sudden announcement shocked the fans and an emotional tribute will soon follow. We were told that Dhoni had handed over the captaincy to Ravindra Jadeja. CSK started the season as the defending champions and then lost the first match to Kolkata Knight Riders. The only silver lining in that defeat was MS Dhoni’s half-century.
April 30, 2022: After a while, CSK are out of the race for a place in the playoffs after six losses in eight matches. Dhoni’s successor Ravindra Jadeja has had a terrible time both as captain and as a player. He has never been exceptional in the IPL – his best season with the ball is 2014 when he took 19 wickets and has scored only two half-centuries in 208 matches. But in 2022, Jadeja looked completely different. Between Gujarat Titans’ victory over Royal Challengers Bangalore and the start of the RR-MI match, CSK said Jadeja handed the captaincy back to MS Dhoni, who accepted the responsibility again in the larger interest of the team.
During CSK’s loss this summer, MS Dhoni’s form with the bat has been the only silver lining. An unbeaten 29 to beat Mumbai Indians will be a part of cricket’s folklore for years to come. There is Mukesh Choudhary to talk to in the CSK camp, but never mind. “Mahi maar raha hai” is starting to sound like an ad campaign for India’s most famous captain.
Looking at the past one month and the performance of CSK in the IPL, you would almost feel sorry for Ravindra Jadeja, one of the best all-rounders in world cricket. Just before the start of the season, Jadeja punished Sri Lanka with an unbeaten 175 and then took 9 wickets in Tests to give India a massive victory.
In the IPL, Ravindra Jadeja looks lost, confused and like a man in the shadow of his more illustrious predecessor.
It is not easy to beat MS Dhoni. It is almost impossible and Jadeja failed to do so.
The transition to the Indian team was easy. After MS Dhoni retired from Test cricket, Virat Kohli built the team from scratch and turned India into a world-cheating machine. Even when Dhoni stepped down as India’s short-format captain, he retained that aura and guided the spinners while Virat Kohli went about his business of scoring runs and bringing his personality to the team.
Ravindra Jadeja also failed to do the same. As MS Dhoni walks away after winning the win over MI, Jadeja takes off his cap and bows to the maestro. It was probably more than symbolic.
On the field it often seemed that Jadeja had succumbed to the wishes of MS Dhoni. Dhoni changed the field placements, talked to the bowlers and the TV cameras never gave up to agree to the DRS call. Of course, during CSK’s misery, Jadeja was left to speak to the media, broadcasters at the toss and post-match presentation ceremonies.
It was tough being Ravindra Jadeja all these weeks. It must be really suffocating.
In the end, it was too much to bear and with five matches remaining, Jadeja decided to hand over the captain’s badge back to MS Dhoni, who duly obliged.
But here are some points to consider as CSK look set to take on Sunrisers Hyderabad in a big way.
Captains have often struggled in the IPL. Virat Kohli has struggled. Rohit Sharma is struggling. Mayank Agarwal has experienced ups and downs in his first stint as captain. But how many captains have stepped down after nine matches and have given up their position to the person who previously held the job?
It is possible that Jadeja did not enjoy the responsibilities at all. But wouldn’t MS Dhoni have tried to persuade him to stay on for just three more weeks and re-evaluate his position after the season?
More importantly, how many decisions are approved in the CSK camp without MS Dhoni’s seal? And was it really Jadeja’s decision?
There are questions and more to come as the story unfolds over the next few days, but the answer is anyone’s guess.
During those nine matches under Ravindra Jadeja, you almost got the feeling that he was just going through the motions and that MS Dhoni’s decision to step down as captain was only on papers. CSK released some of their stars, including Faf du Plessis, who took over as the captain of RCB. The young players – Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shivam Dubey, Mukesh Choudhary and many others – look at MSD like a cult figure.
Then there is Dwayne Bravo who has played under MS Dhoni for so many years. Robin Uthappa is an old friend. Maybe even Jadeja is surprised. Taking over from Dhoni and making it his team was not easy for anyone, not even one of the best players in the world.
Whatever the reason, this U-turn shows CSK in a bad light. At the end of a horror season, this is the kind of drama they could have done without. The Super Kings could still change that, winning their next five matches and presenting a serious case for the playoffs, but what about the image of the second most successful IPL team in history?