Virat Kohli on Thursday penned a short but heartfelt message for his former captain and IPL rival MS Dhoni who has stepped down as captain of his franchise Chennai Super Kings. He has been replaced with Ravindra Jadeja.
Taking to Instagram, Kohli shared a photograph of them hugging and wrote: "Legendary captaincy tenure in yellow skip. A chapter fans will never forget. Respect always."
Dhoni will, however, continue to remain a part of the team, a statement from the team clarified. The news arrived two days before the team's inaugural match against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR).
"MS Dhoni has decided to hand over the leadership of Chennai Super Kings and picked Ravindra Jadeja to lead the team. Jadeja, who has been an integral part of Chennai Super Kings since 2012, will only be the third player to lead CSK," it said.
"Dhoni will continue to represent Chennai Super Kings this season and beyond."
CSK CEO Kasi Viswanathan has also told everyone in media that it was Dhoni’s own decision and one should respect it.
The 'Captain Cool' has lead CSK since IPL began in 2008, across 204 matches with a winning percentage of 59.60. The team had won 121 matches, lost 82 and one ended without a result.
Ravindra Jadeja, meanwhile, has been associated with four IPL franchises in 14 years. He was part of Rajasthan Royals from 2008-09, bought by Kochi Tuskers in 2011, purchased by CSK between 2012-15, moved on to Gujarat Lions in 2016 and returned to the Super Kings in 2018.
According to analysts, he would, however, face the challenge of matching the standard set by Dhoni as the CSK captain.
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