Picture Credit: Twitter
During the last stage of the Indian Premier League 2023, there were rumours that things weren't going well between the Chennai Super Kings management and all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja. Time and again there were a few instances that led to the speculations among the Yellow Army fans. Apart from Jadeja’s cryptic posts, there was one particular incident that went viral, where Jadeja was seen with the CSK CEO Kasi Viswanathan during one of the games in IPL 2023. While it was assumed that the CEO was trying to pacify the 34-year-old cricketer, Viswanathan has squashed the rumours of a rift between Jadeja and CSK management.
Also read: Ravindra Jadeja posts a cryptic quote on social media
Viswanathan was in conversation with ESPNCricinfo, where he said, "It's all part and parcel of the game. After the last game, people saw videos online and assumed I'm pacifying Jadeja, but it wasn't like that. I was talking to him about the match, what he did. We didn't have any other discussion. Everyone knows in a team environment, what happens in the dressing room, no one is privy to it outside. We don't have any problem. He always had high respect for Dhoni. After the final also, he said, 'I dedicate this knock to Dhoni.' That is the kind of respect he has for MS.”
Speaking about Jadeja’s cryptic posts during the IPL season, the CSK CEO said that Jadeja may have felt hurt as there were many instances when the fans openly said that they want Jadeja to get out so that MS Dhoni can play. Viswanathan added, "As far as Jadeja is concerned, he bowled superbly. But the thing is he also knew Dhoni was to come in next, and he himself would get just 2-3 balls sometimes. In such situations whenever he went in, the crowd used to welcome Dhoni. In a way, he may have felt hurt. Any player for that matter may have had that pressure. But he didn't complain about it even though he put out a tweet.”
Notably, Jadeja’s last-game heroics helped Chennai Super Kings lift their fifth Indian Premier League title by defeating Gujarat Titans in the final game of the season. Jadeja remained unbeaten on 15 off six balls helping his team chase down the revised 171-run target on the very last ball.
