MS Dhoni handed over the captaincy of Chennai Super Kings (CSK) to Ravindra Jadeja just two days before the start of the IPL 2022 and Shoaib Akhtar has shared his views on the same.
Dhoni captained CSK for 12 seasons, since the tournament's inception in 2008, and has guided them to four titles, including the most recent one in IPL 2021.
Shoaib Akhtar, the former Pakistan pacer, weighed in on the matter, stating he "did not understand" Dhoni's decision to quit as CSK captain, which came just days before the start of the new season.
"Two days before IPL...really did not understand that, to be very honest. Jadeja is obviously a very fine cricketer and he will try to the best of his ability to lead the team forward. But Dhoni is one of the minds in cricket that you can always count on," he said while speaking to Sportskeeda.
"He is still the best player in the IPL. I think he must have been mentally tired. He must have thought of handing someone else the responsibility and playing freely," he said.
CSK was defeated by Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) by six wickets in the IPL 2022 season opener on Saturday, in Jadeja's debut match as captain. CSK was reduced to 61/5 in 10.5 overs after being put in to bat at the Wankhede with Umesh Yadav picking up 2 wickets in quick succession.
MS Dhoni and Ravindra Jadeja, on the other hand, put on an unbeaten 70-run partnership to help CSK reach 131/5.
Dhoni smashed seven boundaries and a six in a magnificent half-century that sparked a late charge. Jadeja scored 26.
However, the total was too low to concern KKR, who achieved the target with six wickets and nine deliveries to spare, with Ajinkya Rahane's 34-ball 44 being the top score.
