The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 season is almost upon us, and speculation is rife that it will be the last for Chennai Super Kings (CSK) captain MS Dhoni. Ahead of the tournament, legendary cricketer and commentator Sunil Gavaskar has been singing the praises of Dhoni’s leadership skills.
In particular, Gavaskar pointed to the 2018 season, when CSK made their comeback to the tournament after a two-year ban. The team needed to be rebuilt from scratch, with players having moved on to other franchises, but Dhoni’s leadership skills proved crucial.
“That tells you how the man could get a team together again after that gap,” Gavaskar said. “Sometimes, you know, first year, second year there is a team spirit that happens, but to get all of them together after the gap is remarkable.”
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Gavaskar also recalled Dhoni’s heroics with the bat in the 2018 season, particularly his unbeaten knock of 79 off 44 balls against Punjab Kings (PBKS) in which he smashed 20-odd runs in the final over.
Gavaskar also lauded Dhoni’s heroics with the bat during the 2018 season, where he scored 455 runs in 16 games with an average of 75.83. Gavaskar went on to mention that Dhoni’s leadership style and these little touches made him stand out from the rest.
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“We were used to seeing that from Dhoni, but even those little touches of his where he makes a fielder, a player feel 7 feet tall, are the touches that make him stand out from the other,” Gavaskar said.
With CSK kicking off their IPL 2023 campaign against Gujarat Titans on March 31, fans will be eagerly waiting to see Dhoni lead the team one last time. As rumors of his retirement from IPL at the end of the season spread, cricket enthusiasts will be keeping a close watch on the captain’s every move.