This is not the first time that MS Dhoni has made an announcement that nobody saw coming and left everyone
in surprise. He did that when he retired from Test cricket in 2015 mid-series in Australia, then when he left Indi’s
white-ball captaincy in 2017, and when he announced his retirement from international cricket in 2019.
It was either a press conference, a statement from the board, or an emotional Instagram video, and now a release from the Chennai Super Kings. Thala has never demanded attention, eulogies, laurels, farewell matches; he epitomizes the phrase “He came, he saw, he conquered, and he left.”
As tributes poured in from all corners on Thursday evening soon after it was announced that Dhoni has relinquished CSK’s captaincy two days out from the IPL 2022 opener versus KKR, one tweet from a fan, whose Twitter handle is @Cricprabhu, summarized not just the cricketer, but the man Dhoni is, and why he’s the greatest leader of men, the best captain a player could have asked for. A generational skipper.
“Without any fan fare, no big announcements, just casually letting team reveal it two days before #IPL2022 opener. That’s Dhoni for you. As we keep saying, a captain like MS walks once in 100 years, but a Human like Dhoni, once a lifetime !” tweeted Cricprabhu, a huge fan of CSK and ‘Thala’.
Without any fan fare, no big announcements, just casually letting team reveal it two days before #IPL2022 opener.
That’s MS Dhoni for you. As we keep saying, a captain like MS walks once in 100 years, but a Human like Dhoni, once a lifetime ! #WhistlePodu #Dhoni #CSK #MSDhoni https://t.co/li3ATJ7YHv
— Prabhu (@Cricprabhu) March 24, 2022
Senior all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja has been given the captaincy duties and it was Dhoni himself who made both the calls, the franchise said in their statement.
“Dhoni has decided to hand over the leadership of Chennai Super Kings and picked Ravindra Jadeja to lead the team. Jadeja, who has been an integral part of Chennai Super Kings since 2012, will only be the third player to lead CSK. Dhoni will continue to represent Chennai Super Kings this season and beyond,” read a statement from CSK.
MSD captained CSK and Rising Pune Supergiants in a combined record of 204 IPL games, winning 121 of those; he marched CSK to four IPL titles and 2 Champions League trophies. Dhoni, CSK became the most consistent team in the IPL, with qualifications in the playoffs/semifinals for 11 of the 12 seasons that they participated in.
Also Read: 5 Times Dhoni Trolled Ravindra Jadeja
