"Dhoni must have told Ruturaj last year": Ash on Dhoni's captaincy transfer to Gaikwad

MS Dhoni. Pic/PTI

Veteran all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin on Friday said that it was inevitable that MS Dhoni was going to hand over the captaincy reins to another player this season. A day before the start of IPL 2024, Chennai Super Kings (CSK) announced that Gaikwad would be skipper.

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CSK had attempted the leadership transition in 2022 too, but it did not work out with Ravindra Jadeja handing the captaincy duties back to Dhoni after eight games.
The Ruturaj decision was not surprising, said Ashwin. "This decision was inevitable and it was coming at some stage. I have known MS Dhoni, he keeps the team in the forefront, always thinking about the team's well-being. Because of this, two years ago, he had given the captain's armband to Jadeja. He has handed it to Ruturaj now. The decision had to happen," Ashwin said on his YouTube channel.

"I believe Dhoni must have told Ruturaj last year, ‘Brother, you are going to take charge. You can do it. I will be there, so you don't need to worry'," added Ashwin.
Meanwhile, Gaikwad revealed that Dhoni had hinted last season about giving him the captaincy, saying "be ready for something big."

"Last year itself Mahi bhai had hinted about captaincy. He said, ‘be ready, it shouldn't be a surprise to you'. When we came into the camp, he involved me in some of match simulations," Gaikwad told IPLT20.com.

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