The pick of Ruturaj Gaikwad to captain the Chennai Super Kings in place of MS Dhoni ahead of the IPL 2024 season was the team's biggest announcement.
The selection of Ruturaj Gaikwad to captain the Chennai Super Kings in lieu of MS Dhoni ahead of the IPL 2024 season was the team's biggest announcement. After a lengthy career as captain of CSK, Dhoni stepped down and supported Ruturaj to take over as team leader. The decision to name Hardik Pandya the Mumbai Indians captain instead of Rohit Sharma was not warmly received by the supporters, but Dhoni's support for Ruturaj pleased the CSK faithful. Speaking candidly about the decision-making process, CSK CEO Kasi Viswanathan commended Ruturaj for his effective leadership of the side and the seamless transfer.
After talking with the team management a few years ago, when Ruturaj joined the CSK and began to perform well, we thought he would be an excellent captain. In a YouTube video, Viswanathan said to CSK, "Both Flem (Fleming) and MS (Dhoni) had lengthy talks with him and they had plans to make him as a future captain."
Both Fleming and MS thought highly of him after hearing about his performances and approach to the game, and they both agreed that he will be an excellent captain for CSK. We weren't let down either. He easily led the side. He received assistance from the seniors as well. His batting performance hasn't been impacted by it. He has remained a pretty reliable performer."
The demands of being captain have not had an impact on him. We are excited about his upcoming contribution to CSK. Because he is imitating MS Dhoni, there is too much pressure. Though no one can match him, MS was certain that Rutu (Gaikwad) has what it takes to perform admirably. He was undoubtedly helped by the audience's acceptance, that much is true. He said, "You can imagine what happens to other captains if there is pressure from the crowd."
Viswanathan further noted that the management's preference to stay out of CSK cricket-related affairs contributed to the transition.
