3 times MS Dhoni and Ravindra Jadeja's friendship made headlines
The camaraderie between MS Dhoni and Ravindra Jadeja has been a common topic of discussion on social media, especially over the last couple of years.
While their relationship has faced a few hurdles recently, Dhoni’s gesture to lift Jadeja in his arms after CSK’s fifth IPL title triumph and Jadeja dedicating the performance to Dhoni cleared all doubts regarding their bitter-sweet friendship.
In a rain-truncated final at the Narendra Modi Stadium, which spanned almost three days, Jadeja struck a six and a four of the final two deliveries of the match against Gujarat Titans' Mohit Sharma to take CSK to their fifth IPL title.
Jadeja went on a celebratory run and was eventually lifted by Dhoni. Over his illustrious international and IPL career, we have hardly ever seen Dhoni showing his emotions, but this was a sight to behold.
The skipper didn’t watch the last few deliveries of the match, and his reaction after Jadeja hit the boundary was enough to prove what CSK meant to him. A teary-eyed Dhoni embraced Jadeja for a long time before letting the emotions flow.
“Want to dedicate this win to one of the special members of our team - MS Dhoni,” Jadeja said after registering a historic victory for the yellow brigade.
With that, let us have a look at three instances when MS Dhoni and Ravindra Jadeja’s friendship made headlines:
# 1 When Dhoni jokingly hit Jadeja on the helmet after he smashed a six
Back in 2019, CSK won a cliffhanger against the Rajasthan Royals but not before an eventful final over from Ben Stokes saw Ravindra Jadeja smash a ludicrous six.
With 18 required off the final over, Jadeja fell over while trying to smash the first delivery but eventually managed to get enough contact for a six. Jadeja was lying on the ground and trying to figure out how he somehow managed to execute that audacious shot.
Meanwhile, Dhoni jokingly came up to him and tapped Jadeja's helmet with his bat, which instantly became viral on social media.
# 2 When Jadeja decided to part ways with CSK
The relationship between Dhoni and Jadeja turned a bit sour when several reports emerged that Jadeja has decided to end his ties with CSK and move to a different franchise.
It all began from the point when Jadeja was made CSK’s skipper ahead of the 2022 edition. Jadeja’s personal performance dipped dramatically after being handed over the reins, and CSK’s results were abysmal as well.
Dhoni was again handed over the captaincy mid-season and, as per reports, Jadeja was apparently disappointed with being removed midway through the season.
Following the conclusion of the season, Jadeja deleted all CSK-related posts from his social media handles. There was a point when the communication between CSK and Jadeja totally broke down and it was almost certain that he would leave the franchise.
However, it was Dhoni who intervened and made it clear that they can’t part ways with a player like Jadeja. He resolved all the misunderstandings and ensured Jadeja played for CSK in 2023 and the rest is history.
# 3 Cryptic tweets from Jadeja after Dhoni’s bashing after bowling an expensive spell
Despite Jadeja plying his trade for the Chennai Super Kings in 2023, the fans and the netizens suspected something boiling between MS Dhoni and the left-arm spinner yet again.
In a match against the Delhi Capitals, when Jadeja conceded 50 runs in his four overs, the former Indian skipper was seen having an animated chat with the all-rounder.
Following that interaction, Jadeja posted a tweet, captioning it "Karma will get back at you, sooner or later" and fans tried to connect the tweet with the video that surfaced on social media.
Jadeja also liked a comment which stated that the all-rounder wasn’t entirely happy with several fans chanting the name of Dhoni and wanting him to get out.
However, all these speculations can be termed as rumours now and the bond between Dhoni and Jadeja should only grow stronger after another championship win.