Speculating on MS Dhoni’s post-IPL 2024 plans, Kirti Azad said, “Maybe he wants to play freely now, not being a captain.”

Ever since Ruturaj Gaikwad was named the new captain of the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) on Thursday, March 21, and MS Dhoni announced his retirement as captain, the cricket community has been restless.

For the second time, the 42-year-old gave up his CSK captaincy. After a run of underwhelming performances, Ravindra Jadeja assumed the position before the 2022 Indian Premier League and then returned it to Dhoni midway through the season. Jadeja and the CSK management have been discussed as having a falling out, but the star all-around player is still a vital member of the Men in Yellow.

Several years later, MS Dhoni has chosen to play without the pressure of captaincy once more; this time, Ruturaj, 27, is in charge. If the famous wicketkeeper-batsman performs well this year, Kirti Azad, who was a member of India’s 1983 ODI World Cup-winning team, believes he may play well past IPL 2024.

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“He made that choice on his own. If he’s decided to play in the IPL going forward, perhaps he wants to play without restrictions and not be captain. Could it be his final IPL season? His mental state and level of fitness are the only factors that matter. He wants to enjoy being a footballer and not feel the responsibility of being captain, which is why he abandoned his position. The seasoned all-rounder told The Times of India in an interview that he would like to continue if he performs well.

Ruturaj’s captaincy might benefit from having MS Dhoni: Kirti Azad

As Ruturaj embarks on his journey as the captain of one of the most successful and well-liked teams in the lucrative league, Azad believes that Dhoni’s presence will be a tremendous benefit.

“Some young cricket players possess good intelligence. He can be a good captain if he possesses the mentality of a cricket player and is adept at planning. As I believe Dhoni to be among the best captains India has ever produced, Ruturaj would never feel the burden of leading Dhoni. And observe him to see how he led the team and ensured its continued success. Virat Kohli played for a longer period of time because, in Azad’s words, “he saw something extraordinary in him.”

“As he will mentor Ruturaj anytime he needs it, Dhoni would be a benefit to his captaincy. The 65-year-old continued, “And Dhoni is a very helpful man in that regard.

At the Asian Games in Hangzhou, China, last year, Ruturaj guided a backup Indian squad to the gold medal. Additionally, he has led Maharashtra in domestic cricket. Even though the right-handed batter doesn’t start off as the five-time champions’ skipper producing big hits right away, Azad urged the supporters to have patience.

The game is riddled with unknowns. Despite being one of the top players, Sachin wasn’t the best skipper. Not because he wasn’t a capable captain, but rather because the expected outcomes were not realized. Thus, you cannot evaluate a person based solely on a season or an innings,” Azad said.

On Friday, March 22, at Chennai’s MA Chidambaram Stadium, the Super Kings will play their season-opening match against Royal Challengers Bangalore.