"With the backup wicket-keeper being an Under-19 player, don't want to throw him in right away"- Wasim Jaffer expects MS Dhoni to play entire IPL 2024
Former Indian cricketer Wasim Jaffer expects MS Dhoni to play the entire IPL 2024 season despite relinquishing captaincy due to CSK's lack of wicketkeeping options.
With Devon Conway injured and out for most of the tournament, CSK boast only one other wicketkeeping option in 18-year-old Aravelly Avinash. The gloveman has played only two List-A games and is part of the IPL for the first time.
Meanwhile, Dhoni stepped down from captaincy a day before the season opener against RCB, with Ruturaj Gaikwad taking over the mantle.
In a conversation with ESPNCricinfo about Dhoni possibly missing out on playing a few games, Wasim Jaffer said:
"I see him playing most of this season. With the back-up wicket-keeper being an Under-19 player ( Aravelly Avanish), don't want to throw him in right away. Probably the right time to retire would have been the last season, if at all he wanted to, after winning the championship. But now that he has returned, expect him to play a major role and help Ruturaj Gaikwad."
Former Australian all-rounder Tom Moody wondered if Dhoni had decided to step down based on his physical condition.
"Does this mean during the preparations for the season, it hasn't gone to plan for MS Dhoni physically? At the end of the day, he is in his 40s and he has played an enormous amount of cricket and that takes a toll on the body, particularly as a keeper. I wonder if he has made the decision questioning whether he can get through a whole tournament. And this gives him the flexibility without compromising the side. So he is thinking about the side first," said Moody.
Dhoni played the 2023 season with a knee injury that required off-season surgery. The 42-year-old ended his reign as IPL's most successful captain with 133 wins in 226 games, including leading CSK to five titles.
"He has made a lot out of average squads" - Tom Moody
Tom Moody hailed MS Dhoni as the best-ever IPL captain and lauded his ability to lead average squads to exceed expectations and win titles.
The champion cricketer became the only player to captain a franchise (CSK) in 200 games during the 2023 IPL season.
"The best captain the IPL has seen. Because I don't think he has always had the best squad, he has made a lot out of average squads and last year was a good example of that. Winning a title when no one ever thought that would be the case but he seems to be able to elevate a team and individuals beyond what their own expectations are, let alone those of experts," said Moody.
He added:
"He has got a wonderful and calm way about him where he manages to pull off things that are unexpected. He makes decisions that makes a viewer say 'Actually I get that'. But if someone else made that decision, they would be yelling at why is he making that decision, that is a crazy decision. But Dhoni makes it happen."
Dhoni had similarly stepped down from captaincy before the 2022 IPL season, with Ravindra Jadeja taking over.
However, a disappointing campaign meant the veteran took back over as captain midway through the season and the whole of IPL 2023.