MS. The Chennai Super Kings are thrilled to have won the first match of Dhoni’s return. In the first match after Dhoni took over as captain from Ravindra Jadeja, Chennai won by 12 runs. After the match against Hyderabad, Dhoni said that Ravindra Jadeja knew in 2021 that he would have to lead the Chennai Super Kings in the 2022 season.
‘I think Ravindra Jadeja knew last season that he would be the captain this year. Jadeja had enough time to prepare for this. The most important thing was for Jadeja to lead the team. I wanted this transformation to happen. In the first two matches, I gave instructions to Jadeja, but then I left the decision to Jadeja, including who should bowl, “Dhoni said.
‘It’s not fair to make Jadeja feel that the captaincy mission at the end of the season was done by someone else and that I just went to the ground for the toss. Spoon feeding is not helpful in captaincy. It is the captain who has to make the crucial decisions on the field and take responsibility for it. Once you become a captain, people will start expecting a lot. But I think the growing responsibility has affected Jadeja’s mentality. Jadeja was responsible for the captaincy mission in preparation and performance. With this, Jadeja was unable to show his old zeal in batting and bowling. “If there is one person who can put out the best performance without the captaincy, that is what we want,” Dhoni added.
Rituraj Gaekwad (99 off 57 balls) and Devon Conway (85 not out off 55 balls) put on 182 for the opening wicket as Chennai put on 202 for the loss of two wickets. In reply, Hyderabad lost 6 wickets for 189 runs. With the win, Chennai managed to keep their playoff hopes alive.