CHENNAI: Passing on the captaincy at Chennai Super Kings was never going to be a routine transition, especially when the man stepping aside is MS Dhoni, the face of the franchise and architect of its five IPL titles.
But rather than burden successor Ruturaj Gaikwad with expectations, Dhoni chose to hand him something far more valuable: freedom.
“What I told Rutu, ‘Run it the way you want to run it’. Because that’s how I have run CSK for a very long time,” Dhoni said at an event organised by Etihad Airways on Sunday.
“I always felt it’s a game where the captain has to take the decisions. It isn’t like football where managers decide. Cricket is where, as a captain, you have to decide. That’s the most important thing for me. There will be certain things that he will pick from how I lead but whatever is your style, you have the full liberty.”
Dhoni is yet to play a single fixture this season but is still an integral part of the leadership group, where he passes on advice for Gaikwad, who is leading the franchise for the third straight year.
“The other thing I told him, ‘I’m very open, I’ll come and talk to you but you don’t have to follow it all necessarily.’ My job is to share the experience, and as a leader, he has to take the decisions. It is important for me to give him advice, but the tone and wordings are such that it isn’t something he has to do. Everyone has their own view but as a leader, it is important to see how you can use your strategy,” he added.
CSK is a franchise who believes in concentrating more on cricket. You do have to look at things surrounding it but as a franchise, our essence and core is cricket– MS Dhoni, former CSK skipper
Gaikwad, then, opened up about CSK’s tough season, with the franchise needing two wins out of their remaining two games to qualify for the playoffs. Across the last three seasons, Gaikwad’s men have finished outside the top four, failing to make the playoffs—unheard of in the franchise’s history.
“Not with ease, for sure. There have been a lot of complications with injuries, since I have started playing for CSK, I have gained a lot from Mahi [MS Dhoni] bhai about leadership, about captaining. I was captaining my state side, even when I was playing, I used to think like a leader, and what are some calls that I can take on the field,” Gaikwad said, addressing the transition.
“It really helped me to get into the leadership role, and from there, it was just about continuing the culture, and carrying on the foundation set by these two [Dhoni and CSK’s coach Stephen Fleming]. I just try to make sure that I pass it on to the youngsters, and helping them out as much as possible. Make sure that they love the franchise, respect the jersey, and the fans all over the country.”
Despite not stepping foot on the field this season, fans have still flocked out in thousands if not more in anticipation of their ‘Thala’.
While Chennai could be a hard place to find love if you are from outside the ecosystem, Dhoni did it effortlessly, pulling the crowd to his corner from the first season. That love hasn’t stopped either, and the secret mantra behind it?
“Well, I was just being myself. I always said it is important to be yourself, and let the people love you for who you are,” Dhoni stated. “In my case, it was never the case of if I wanted to woo the fans, you just want to be authentic. Once you are authentic, people start loving you. As you know, the fans have been brilliant, we have had tough times, some really good run also. Often when the chips are down, you can get that 10-15% extra from the crowd.”