IPL champion coach raises questions over MS Dhoni’s fitness after sudden exit as CSK captain Cricket News

In an interesting development a day before the start of IPL 2024, MS Dhoni relinquished the captaincy of Chennai Super Kings and handed over the reins to Ruturaj Gaikwad. Although this decision was expected by many, it still caused an emotional outburst from fans. The situation in the CSK dressing room was no different and people got misty-eyed when ‘Tara’ revealed that he would be resigning as captain before the start of the season.

Tom Moody, who was SunRisers Hyderabad’s coach when they won the IPL, had an interesting comment on the development.

“When I first heard the news, one of the things that came to my mind was whether it meant that Dhoni’s physical preparations have not gone as planned so far. Remember, at the end of the day, he is 40 , plays a lot of cricket and when you are a wicketkeeper it does take a toll on your body. Probably he was asked if he could play the whole tournament and that gave him flexibility without affecting the team. That That could be the case,” Tom Moody said on ESPNCricinfo.

Chennai Super Kings head coach Stephen Fleming narrated the scene in the dressing room when Dhoni revealed the news.

“There was a lot of emotion (when Dhoni revealed the news) and a lot of tears were shed. No one had a dry eye in the dressing room. Everyone was touched. Last time (when CSK changed captain) we didn’t prepare for Microsoft’s relocation and be prepared for changes in leadership,” Fleming said.

“We also have a huge congratulations to Ruturaj. He is not the most outspoken person, but he has the ability to lead us in the right direction.”

This is not the first time that Dhoni has resigned as CSK captain, Ravindra Jadeja also did so two years ago when he took over from him. However, the move backfired and Dhoni returned as captain mid-season. However, Fleming expects things to be different this time around.