“Whatever You Do, It’s Your Own Decision”- Ruturaj Gaikwad Recalls What MS Dhoni Told Him When Passing Over The CSK Captaincy

Ruturaj Gaikwad, the captain of the Chennai Super Kings (CSK), has disclosed that he received leadership advice from the renowned cricketer MS Dhoni for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024. According to Ruturaj Gaikwad, MS Dhoni promised to intervene as little as possible with his captaincy throughout the competition.

Significant captaincy changes took place in the Indian Premier League prior to the season, with the Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians—two formidable teams with five IPL titles apiece—appointing new captains. Ruturaj Gaikwad took over as captain of CSK from MS Dhoni, and Hardik Pandya succeeded Rohit Sharma as manager of the Mumbai Indians.

CSK’s takeover proceeded without a hitch and caused little agitation in the existing hierarchy, but the Mumbai Indians saw a significant amount of opposition.

The disparity in both teams’ fortunes became evident as the IPL league stage reached its climax. The Mumbai Indians were the first team to exit the playoff race due to an unanticipated setback. On the other hand, CSK is still very much in the race.

Ruturaj Gaikwad describes what MS Dhoni told him when he passed over the CSK captaincy:

Ruturaj Gaikwad thanked Star Sports in a video posted on X (formerly Twitter) for leading the Chennai Super Kings. Gaikwad expressed gratitude to MS Dhoni for his steadfast support. The captain of CSK said that Dhoni provided him with complete freedom in his role as captain.

Thinking back on his new role, Gaikwad provided insights into the transition process, highlighting Dhoni’s supportive approach while giving him the freedom to make his own decisions.

“Last year in almost every game, I was thinking about what changes I would make, what bowling changes I would make if I were there,” Gaikwad reflected on his journey. “I am really happy that I took control of the first game as a captain and not asked for suggestions from him [Dhoni],” Ruturaj Gaikwad said.

“He said one thing – ‘Whatever you do, it’s your own decision, it’s your responsibility to take care. I am not going to interfere with anything. Just the field angles, if I think that somewhere it’s like 50-50, I will help with that. Whatever it is, batting order and everything you will have to take care of,” Ruturaj Gaikwad added.

“I think whatever fielding angle I change, fielding replacement I do, I’ll I look at him. Even he makes sure that he has an eye on me. But he also mentioned, ‘Make sure that it’s not a compulsion that if I tell you something, you have to follow that. You can still take up your own decision’,” Ruturaj Gaikwad concluded.