MS Dhoni's return as Chennai Super Kings skipper was marked with a win. But the greater task lies ahead for four-time IPL champions.
One down, five to go. Chennai Super Kings revived their Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 campaign with a 'momentous' win against Sunrisers Hyderabad in Pune on Sunday. The match marked the return of Mahendra Singh Dhoni as CSK's captain. The 40-year-old promptly stamped his authority, then elaborated nuances of leading a team.
A reticent leader he is, but MS Dhoni brings the clarity of a thinking man in the game. So when he said that "spoon-feeding doesn't really help a captain," the former India skipper hit the nail on the head. It is now an inescapable or rather unmissable part of the narrative
brewing at CSK camp.
With MS Dhoni's blessings, the four-time IPL champions anointed star all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja as the captain of the team just before the start of their title defence. But what followed was a disaster for the most consistent team in IPL. Four loses, then two wins in the next four. And Jadeja's subsequent stepping down as CSK's captain.
Jadeja, 33, is a legend in the making. But the world's top-ranked Test all-rounder was overwhelmed by the occasion. He is a legit star in T20 cricket too, having revealed his prodigious talent in the inaugural edition of IPL way back in 2008. He was a key member of the Shane Warne-led Rajasthan Royals which defeated Dhoni & Co for the title. Jadeja even earned the now-famous moniker, 'Sir Jadeja' from the spin legend.
But for all his fearless sword celebrations and moustachioed acts, Jadeja is still a greenhorn when it comes to leading a group of men. The CSK ensemble, including the backroom staff, has some of the biggest names in world cricket. Then, there's MS Dhoni himself. To lead such a team, Jadeja needed a riposte rather than a lunge, using a bit of fencing analogy for the sake of the sword.
It will be a futile attempt even to try to understand what goes on in the mind of a leader when the actual leader lurks like a shadow. But, it's now clear though that Ravindra Jadeja never got out of MS Dhoni's shadow, voluntarily or by some design. The captain was a fanboy and remains so.
"Between me and Jadeja, he knew last season itself that he will be given a chance to captain this year. He knew and got enough time to prepare... and I wanted that transition to happen," Dhoni told broadcasters after their 13-run win against SRH.
In those eight matches, Jadeja looked as if he was in constant need of guidance. Now, he's made to be a hesitant leader, who was shoed into the role by a team that needed an heir. Maybe circumstances demanded it. After all, MS Dhoni sooner or later will hang his boots.
"In the first two games, there was information going in towards Jaddu [Jadeja] and after that, I left it to him to decide. At the end of the season, you don't want him to feel as the captaincy was done by someone else and I'm just going for the toss," the former India captain explained.
"So it was a gradual transition. Spoon-feeding doesn't really help a captain, on the field you have to take those crucial decisions and you have to take responsibility for those decisions."
For now, the baton has been passed back to the old hands. And Dhoni's return as CSK captain was even marked by a win. Hereafter, every single win will only embellish the legend that is MS Dhoni.
But will he be able to save Chennai's fortunes this season? They still need to win the remaining five matches to stand a realistic chance of finishing top-four and making the IPL playoffs. This will be Dhoni's biggest test as a captain.
Meanwhile, the pertinent question that remains is -- what happened to that "gradual transition". Transition often is a process, not a one-step move. Here, it seems like the transition has stopped abruptly. Probably, that's a process too.
Chennai Super Kings' remaining fixtures: vs Royal Challengers Bangalore on May 4; vs Delhi Capitals on May 8; vs Mumbai Indians on May 12; vs Gujarat Titans on May 15; vs Rajasthan Royals on May 20.
After match 46, CSK are ninth in the table with six points. They have now won three and lost six.