Indian cricketer Robin Uthappa feels that MS Dhoni would’ve himself told Chennai Super Kings (CSK) to retain him as their second pick as he well and truly understands the value of Ravindra Jadeja. 

The existing IPL teams on Tuesday (30th November) revealed their retention list ahead of the IPL 2022 auction. The defending champions, Chennai Super Kings (CSK) were one among the four franchises that retained four players. 

The ‘Men in Yellow’ chose to retain premier all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja as their first pick for INR 16 Crores. What came as a surprise was skipper MS Dhoni was the second pick, worth 12 Crores, while Moeen Ali and Ruturaj Gaikwad were the other two retentions for INR 8 and 6 Crores respectively. 

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MS Dhoni not being retained as the first pick came as a surprise to many while some felt that it was a selfless move from the CSK skipper to keep Ravindra Jadeja ahead of him in terms of money. 

Speaking on Star Sports, Robin Uthappa said that MS Dhoni might have himself told Chennai Super Kings to retain him as the second pick as he knows the value of Ravindra Jadeja and the all-rounder is someone who can lead the squad in coming years when the wicket-keeper batter retires. 

"I am sure that is MS Dhoni’s doing itself. He knows the value that Jadeja has to the unit. I think from what I understand, Jadeja might be someone who could end up leading the squad in the future as well when MS Dhoni retires. They have given him the due he deserved,” Robin Uthappa said. 

Talking about the same, former Indian cricketer Parthiv Patel also said that CSK is investing in Ravindra Jadeja and he’ll be the first choice to take over from MS Dhoni as a skipper of CSK when the wicket-keeper batter calls time on his career. 

"He is the guy whom they are investing in to be the next captain. He has been terrific as a player. He has done well in Test cricket, we have seen him batting at No. 6 in ODI cricket as well. So I would like to see him take that responsibility. So I think Ravindra Jadeja will take over as captain once MS Dhoni decides not to play,” Parthiv Patel said. 

(Star Sports inputs)