Credit: IPL
Chennai Super Kings (CSK) skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad has showered praises on his senior colleague MS Dhoni’s fitness. Dhoni, who is 43 currently, is known for his briskness while running between the wickets and also with the keeping gloves behind the stumps. His stellar level of fitness has helped him become the stumper with most dismissals in IPL with 190 hunts in 264 outings. This year, the veteran might be seen becoming the first wicket-keeper to perform 200 dismissals in the league. In 2024, Dhoni passed the captaincy baton to Gaikawad on the eve of IPL 2024 opener.
Gaikwad, who will be leading the Yellow Army in IPL 2025, had a conversation with Star Sports and said, "MS Dhoni's fitness is inspiring. It is always great to watch him bat.” Earlier, Gaikwad also recalled what Dhoni said to him when the veteran handed the reins of the side to him in March 2024.
“Just a week before the tournament last year, MS Dhoni came up to me and said, ‘I'm not leading this year—you are. I was taken aback, asking, ‘From the first game? Are you sure?' With just a few days to prepare, it was overwhelming.“But he assured me, ‘This is your team. You make your own decisions. I won't interfere, except when field placements are a 50-50 call. Even then, it's not a compulsion to follow my advice. That trust meant a lot to me,” said Gaikwad in a conversation with JioHotstar.
CSK will be chasing their sixth title under Gaikwad
Gaikwad failed to take CSK to the playoffs in IPL 2024 but this year, his endeavour will be to make Chennai champions for the record sixth time. CSK added iconic international figures such as Devon Conway, Rachin Ravindra, Noor Ahmad, Sam Curran, and Ravichandran Ashwin to the squad in the IPL 2025 auction held in Jeddah.
The Super Kings have a formidable spin-bowling unit which includes Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, and Ahmad. The trio has the potential to make batters dance on the Chennai’s turf which is known for assisting spinners. Chennai will kick off their campaign against their arch-rival Mumbai Indians (MI) the MA Chidambaram Stadium on March 23.
