Chennai Super Kings (CSK) head coach Stephen Fleming has revealed the scenes inside the dressing room when MS Dhoni broke the news of his resignation as captain of the franchise ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024.
MS Dhoni has resigned from the captaincy of CSK after leading the franchise since the inaugural edition of the tournament. He had a hugely successful period as captain of the Chennai-based franchise.
Dhoni developed a unique team culture and under his leadership groomed several players, who achieved great things in cricket. Many out-of-form players joined CSK after failing miserably in different teams and suddenly brought out their best performance for the MS Dhoni-led team.
Overall, MS Dhoni won 5 IPL trophies as captain, the most in the history of the league as Rohit Sharma also won the same number of championships as captain. He led CSK in 226 matches and won 133 matches and lost 91.
Meanwhile, MS Dhoni has decided to hand over the CSK captaincy to star opening batsman Ruturaj Gaikwad, who has easily been the franchise’s best player in the batting department since 2021.
Lots of tears, not a dry eye in the dressing room – Stephen Fleming on MS Dhoni’s departure from captaincy
In a pre-match press conference, the former captain of the New Zealand national cricket team and the head coach of the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) revealed the scenes inside the dressing room when Dhoni broke the news.
According to Fleming, the players cried a lot and not a single one had dry eyes. He also revealed that the players recovered quickly and congratulated new captain Ruturaj Gaikwad.
“(When Dhoni broke the news) there were a lot of emotions. A lot of tears. There wasn’t a dry eye in the locker room. Everyone was moved. Last time (when CSK changed captain) we were not so prepared for the MS move and a change in leadership.
“There was also a round of congratulations to Ruturaj. He’s not the most vocal person, but he has qualities to guide us in the right direction,” Fleming said.
Before Ruturaj Gaikwad, MS Dhoni tried to hand over the captaincy to Ravindra Jadeja in IPL 2022. CSK’s move was a big failure as the all-rounder did not lead the team well and his performance with bat and ball also suffered greatly. impact due to what Dhoni assumed again as leader.
Talking about Jadeja, Stephen Fleming said that the all-rounder is a key player for Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and will be alongside Gaikwad as he is also part of the leadership group.
“He [Jadeja] He’s right next to Rutu, there’s no doubt about that,” Fleming said. “If you saw last year, the contribution Jadeja had… the last two balls will go down in CSK history. He was instrumental in us winning the cup and has been a strong player for us year after year, whether he has the stripes on his sleeve or not. He remains a natural leader. He is not outspoken, he is not loud or assertive, but his actions in the way he plays will be a strong component of our leadership and he will be someone that Ruturaj will use, without a doubt.”