The Chennai Super Kings made the announcement of Gaikwad's promotion to captaincy, succeeding the legendary MS Dhoni, a day prior to the opening game.
Ruturaj Gaikwad expressed his enthusiasm upon being appointed as the new captain of the Chennai Super Kings, just ahead of the inaugural IPL 2024 match against the Royal Challengers Bangalore in Chennai.
The Chennai Super Kings made the announcement of Gaikwad's promotion to captaincy, succeeding the legendary MS Dhoni, a day prior to the opening game. Gaikwad, who has been a part of the CSK team since 2019, shared his excitement at the prospect of shouldering such a significant responsibility. He mentioned that the wealth of experience within the CSK camp will serve as a valuable guide in his new role.
"It is a privilege, more than that, it is a huge responsibility but I am really excited because of the kind of group we have," Ruturaj Gaikwad said in a video shared by CSK on their X page.
"Everyone's experienced enough so not much of a thing for me to do."
"Plus I have Mahi bhai in the team, Jaddu bhai and Ajju bhai (Rahane) as well, who has been a great captain, to guide me. So nothing much to worry about. Looking forward to enjoy it."
At the age of 27, Gaikwad recently captained the Indian cricket team to a Gold medal at the Asian Games 2023 in Hangzhou. He also represents his home state team, Maharashtra, in various domestic tournaments. Gaikwad rose to prominence during the IPL 2021 season, where he earned the Orange Cap for scoring an impressive 635 runs in 16 innings for the championship-winning team.
The decision to change the captain on the eve of the season may have caught some by surprise, but the Super Kings have been quietly grooming Ruturaj Gaikwad for the role behind the scenes. In 2022, just days before the start of the new season in Maharashtra, MS Dhoni passed the captaincy to Ravindra Jadeja. However, this move backfired as Jadeja resigned as captain midway through the season, leading to Dhoni resuming his leadership duties.
Looking ahead to the 2023 IPL season, CSK initially considered Ben Stokes as a captaincy option. However, due to ongoing fitness concerns, they shifted their focus to Gaikwad. Despite not being a regular member of the Indian national team, the 27-year-old opener has earned admiration throughout the franchise for his skills and leadership potential.
As a right-handed opener, Gaikwad continued his success in the following season, contributing 590 runs in 15 IPL innings to help CSK secure their fifth title under the leadership of MS Dhoni. Gaikwad's upcoming challenge will be against his former opening partner, Faf du Plessis, who now leads the Royal Challengers Bengaluru. The match is set to take place at the MA Chidambaram Stadium on Friday.
Also read| CSK vs RCB, IPL 2024: Predicted playing XI, live streaming details, weather and pitch report
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 "‘It’s a huge responsibility but…’: Ruturaj Gaikwad reacts after replacing MS Dhoni as CSK captain for IPL 2024")
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