MS Dhoni’s surprising announcements have always been a major talking point in his career. From his withdrawal of Test captaincy during India’s tour of Australia in 2014 to his retirement call in August 2020, Dhoni has always stunned his fans with his decisions.
Another such surprising call from the Ranchi-based superstar came when he decided to step down from the captaincy position at Chennai Super Kings (CSK), just two days before the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 opener against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR).
The Super Kings had revealed in an official statement that experienced all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja was handed over the baton by Dhoni. As the fans and experts were left befuddled with the developments in the Super Kings camp, former Pakistan cricketer Shoaib Akhtar also shared his take and questioned the timing of Dhoni’s decision. Akhtar also reckoned that Jadeja is a good choice to lead the Super Kings in the cash-rich league.
“Two days before IPL…really did not understand that, to be very honest. He is still the best player in the IPL. I think he must have been mentally tired. He must have thought of handing someone else the responsibility and playing freely,” Akhtar said on his YouTube channel.
“Jadeja is obviously a very fine cricketer, and he will try to the best of his ability to lead the team forward. But Dhoni is one of the minds in cricket that you can always count on,” he added.
However, Jadeja didn’t have a good time as the captain in the first game of IPL 2022 on Saturday. Under his leadership, CSK suffered a six-wicket loss against Shreyas Iyer-led KKR.
Electing to bowl first, KKR restricted CSK on 131/5 in 20 overs. Former skipper Dhoni looked in good touch, smashing a crucial half-century to take his side to a respectable total. The paltry target was chased down successfully by the Knight Riders with nine deliveries to spare and six wickets in hand.
