The star all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja has been appointed as Chennai Super Kings' (CSK) new captain after the legendary MS Dhoni illustrious reign as team's skipper came to an end. Twelve seasons, four title triumphs and five runner-up finishes later, the iconic Mahendra Singh Dhoni has decided to hand over the captaincy of Chennai Super Kings to his trusted lieutenant, Jadeja.
However, Jadeja is not worried at all as he feels he needs to carry the big legacy forward.
"Feeling good but at the same time I need to fill in big boots," said Jadeja in a video shared by CSK on twitter.
"Like Mahi bhai has already set a big legacy and we need to carry it forward, so hopefully I will. And I don't need to worry too much because he's here and whatever question I need to ask, I'll definitely go to him.
"He was my go to person and he still is today, so I'm not worried too much," he further added.
However, in a brief statement, CSK said the 40-year-old will continue to represent the franchise for the "season and beyond", having led one of the most successful IPL sides since the tournament's inception in 2008 -- barring the two seasons when the team was suspended in the wake of the spot-fixing scandal.
"MS 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," said CSK in a statement on Thursday.
"Dhoni will continue to represent Chennai Super Kings this season and beyond," the franchise added.
The announcement still took CSK CEO Kasi Viswanathan by surprise but he said "if Dhoni takes a decision, it has to be in the best interest of the team".
"See whatever decision MS takes it is in the best interest of the team. So there is nothing to worry for us. We respect his decision. He is always there to guide us," Viswanthan said.
Meanwhile, the defending champions CSK will lock horns with KKR in the IPL 2022 opener on March 26.
CSK's full squad: MS Dhoni, Moeen Ali, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ravindra Jadeja, Ambati Rayudu, Dwayne Bravo, Robin Uthappa, Deepak Chahar, KM Asif, Tushar Deshpande, Shivam Dube, Maheesh Theekshana, Rajvardhan Hangargekar, Simarjeet Singh, Devon Conway, Dwaine Pretorius, Mitchell Santner, Adam Milne, Subhranshu Senapati, Mukesh Choudhary, Prashant Solanki, C Hari Nishaanth, N Jagadeesan, Chris Jordan, K Bhagath Varma.
