Defending Indian Premier League (IPL) champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK) have had a horrific start to the 2022 season, losing their first four matches of the season. Their last loss came on Saturday at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai, at the hands of Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) who condemned CSK to an eight-wicket defeat.
Following their loss, former India head coach Ravi Shastri shared his reservations about CSK all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja's appointment as their new skipper ahead of the new campaign. He believes that if Dhoni decided to step down from the captaincy role, then CSK should not have released South African batter Faf du Plessis before the mega auction.
"I feel that someone like Jadeja, he should focus on his own game. If Chennai were to think back, they wouldn't have let go of Faf du Plessis," Shastri said on ESPNcricinfo's T20 Time Out Hindi. “He [du Plessis] is a match-winner, he has won the IPL with Chennai, he has a lot of experience," he added.
Jadeja has been a stalwart for CSK and team India over the last few years, and many welcomed the idea to make him the captain. However, CSK's performances this season have raised alarming questions about the decision.
In an earlier interview with ESPNCricinfo, Super Kings CEO Kasi Viswanathan had mentioned that Dhoni had been considering the decision for a while and that "he felt it is the right time to hand over the captaincy to Jaddu [Jadeja]". However, the 59-year-old felt that if such was the case then CSK should have probably retained the former South African skipper for the role.
"If Dhoni was thinking of giving up the captaincy, then Faf should have been given the job, and Jadeja should have continued as [just] a player. He would have played freely, without the pressure of captaincy. Things could have been different for Chennai then," the former India star said.
Following Du Plessis's release from CSK, he was recruited by Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) at the mega auction for Rs 7 crores. He then took over from their long-time skipper Virat Kohli and has since gone on the lead RCB to three straight victories in a row while losing just one of their four games this season.
