Grooming the next captain for Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and ensuring his beloved team and franchise is in just as safe hands when he hangs his boots is already at the back of Mahendra Singh Dhoni's mind, said the three-time champions' longstanding all-rounder Dwayne Bravo.
Dhoni has led Super Kings in all ten of the twelve seasons of the Indian Premier League (IPL) they've been part of. The great wicketkeeper batsman has overseen three title-winning campaigns and also various others where they've failed only at the final few hurdles, including last season when they finished runners-up.
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However, the 39-year-old, who bid farewell to his legendary international career as captain and player for India last month, also realises his time with the franchise in yellow is also nearing its end and the IPL 2020 in UAE could well be his last.
“I know it’s been in the back of his mind for some time, I mean all of us have to step aside at some point of time. It’s just the matter of when… when to step aside and hand it over to whether it’s a Raina or someone younger,” Bravo told ABP News.
Given the emotional connect and the respect he has enjoyed of the people of Chennai as their 'Thala', we can be rest assured the man won't be leaving any stone unturned in finding his able successor.
Bravo also said he doesn't expect anything to change in Dhoni's outlook towards the game, even as he no longer carries the weight of billion expectations.
"He doesn’t have to worry about a billion people now, it’s just CSK the franchise but I don’t think that’ll change the person he is, won’t he change how leads the team, definitely he’ll be the same person," said the West Indian, adding that Dhoni, coach Stephen Fleming and the whole franchise set-up is responsible for CSK's success.
"We have a very talented squad, full of experience and also we have a management staff, that is very relaxed and balanced and also the owners… All these things come together and play a part (in making CSK a successful franchise). We don’t have any outside pressure from the owners or the management. We don’t feel under pressure with MS (Dhoni) as captain."
“I think CSK have one of the most loyal fans whether we play in Mumbai, Delhi or Bangalore you see a lot of yellow shirts in the stands. We enjoy each other’s success, so these are the main reasons behind the success of CSK," Bravo concluded.
