"Who does MS Dhoni have his eyes on?"- Suresh Raina puts forward his contender for CSK's next captain
Former Chennai Super Kings (CSK) batter Suresh Raina is intrigued to see who skipper MS Dhoni grooms in IPL 2024 season to take over the reins as Chennai's next captain.
The Super Kings tried the transition in IPL 2022 when Ravindra Jadeja took over from Dhoni. However, it didn't work out well and Chennai had to fall back to the legendary wicketkeeper.
However, speaking on Jio Cinema, Suresh Raina claimed that opener Ruturaj Gaikwad could be a great choice as CSK's next captain. He said:
"The biggest question is who will be their next captain? Even if Dhoni stepped away as captain, he would be there in the dugout as a mental toughness coach or just for his presence. But who does MS Dhoni have his eyes on? I think Ruturaj Gaikwad will be a good option."
After impressing towards the backend of the IPL 2020 season, Ruturaj Gaikwad has established himself as a prolific run-getter for CSK over the past three seasons. With decent captaincy experience in domestic cricket, it will be interesting to see if the Super Kings go his way as Dhoni's successor.
Would like to see MS Dhoni play for 2-3 more years: Suresh Raina
Suresh Raina believes IPL 2024 would provide a clear picture of who CSK's next captain could be. However, he still wants MS Dhoni to continue playing for the franchise as a marquee player. On this, he stated:
"This year is probably more important for CSK than MS Dhoni because we will see who he is going to select as his deputy and probably say, 'You handle this now. I've been looking after the team since 2008'. He is 42 years old now. I would like to see him play for five more years or at least 2-3 years."
Dhoni equalled Rohit Sharma's record of most IPL titles as captain (five) when CSK beat the Gujarat Titans in a last-ball thriller in the IPL 2023 final. The Super Kings will kickstart their title defense by hosting the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the first game of the new season on Friday, March 22.