Former India off-spinner Harbhajan Singh feels that MS Dhoni is still the best captain in the IPL, and that the Chennai Super Kings will once again struggle to find a replacement for him as it had happened this season.
Two days out from the IPL 2022, Ravindra Jadeja was named the new CSK skipper. However, with just two wins in 8 matches and Jadeja’s own form taking a nosedive, Dhoni was reinstated as the captain to allow Jadeja to “focus more on his game”. CSK got back to winning ways, defeating SRH but they were all but eliminated from the playoff race after the loss to RCB.
Harbhajan Singh said that while it’s a nice thing that Dhoni is back at the helm, taking back the duties from Jadeja, however, he wondered what would be the path for the franchise after Dhoni.
“When you have a captain like MS Dhoni, it is difficult to get someone and expect that person to replicate what Dhoni has been doing. To replace him as a captain (in CSK) is going to be a tough decision. It is a big shoes to fill. I still feel he is the best captain in IPL. They tried with Ravindra Jadeja but failed and they have gone back to MS which is a great thing. It is going to be interesting to see how CSK performs beyond Dhoni,” Harbhajan Singh was quoted as saying by news18.com.
He hailed Dhoni’s legacy as India and CSK captain, counting the accolades the Ranchi-born has won for his teams. Dhoni has said that he will either be playing or be part of the CSK dugout next season; Harbhajan Singh reckons Dhoni’s influence from the dugout, though, will unlikely to be anywhere near as effective as it’s when he’s on the field.
“When we talk about Dhoni’s captaincy he has won the T20 World cup, the World Cup and even Champions Trophy and has been so successful in IPL. A lot of credit goes to him who has been running the show for so many years. He will always be in the dugout with CSK but being there and being on field are two different things,” Harbhajan Singh added.
