Gaikwad revealed the move was no happenstance and the plan has been in motion since last year.
Chennai Super Kings‘ (CSK’s) decision to hand over the captaincy to the young Ruturaj Gaikwad from MS Dhoni was no happenstance and the plan has been in motion since last year. Following the developments, Gaikwad revealed that Dhoni had given him a heads-up during IPL 2023 about the possible change and that it shouldn’t “be a surprise”.
In a video released by the league on their official social media handles, Gaikwad got candid about the move and revealed, “Last year itself, Mahi bhai had hinted about captaincy at some point of time. He just hinted that, ‘be ready, it shouldn’t be a surprise to you’. When we came into the camp, he involved me in some of the match simulation.”
Gaikwad added, “I remember him posting about a new role on social media and everybody was pointing towards me and asking me, ‘are you the next captain?’. I was like, ‘maybe it meant something else for social media’. But back of the mind, it was there. He came and said, ‘I’ve decided this and this’, but definitely now that I’m here, I’m looking forward to this.”
.@ChennaiIPL fans, meet your new Captain! 😎
The newly appointed #CSK skipper, Ruturaj Gaikwad, shares what this new opportunity means to him 💛 – By @RajalArora#TATAIPL | #CSKvRCB pic.twitter.com/PS1qfGH2n9
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) March 22, 2024
Gaikwad made his IPL debut in 2020 and has only played for one franchise. Over the years, he has become a household name, having amassed 1797 runs in 52 matches at an average of 39.07 and a strike rate of 135.52. His best IPL season was in 2021, when he tallied 635 runs over 16 matches at an impressive average of 45.35.
Ruturaj Gaikwad has previous experience of captaincy, having led the Indian team to a gold medal at the 2023 Asian Games.
ALSO READ: Behind the scenes of MS Dhoni handing over CSK captaincy reins to Ruturaj Gaikwad
Gaikwad’s first assignment as CSK skipper will be against RCB in the IPL 2024 opener tonight (March 22).
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