The five-time champions and one of the most successful teams in the Indian Premier League (IPL), Chennai Super Kings (CSK) showcased an average performance in the tournament, which became a major reason for them to finish at the eighth spot in the points table.
Sadagoppan Ramesh backs star player to replace Ruturaj Gaikwad as CSK captain
As a captain, Ruturaj Gaikwad failed to carry his side to a good path in the tournament. However, reflecting on his team’s performance and some changes in the captaincy. Former Indian cricketer Sadagoppan Ramesh advised the side to replace star player Sanju Samson as the captain of the team, who was traded from Rajasthan Royals.
“CSK are seemingly thinking of many options as captain and even wondering if there is a captaincy change needed. Sanju Samson should be considered as captain because he’s such a fantastic team player. The CSK captaincy must be changed, and if it is, CSK must seriously consider Sanju Samson.”
“Samson has also captained 66 matches in the IPL and won 33. So he has a 50% success rate. Under him, RR performed well by reaching a final and making another playoff appearance. Of course, CSK need several other things to change, and just making Sanju the captain won’t win them the trophy. But if at all they change captains, Sanju must be strongly considered,” he added.
Badrinath wants Gaikwad free from captaincy pressure to revive his batting
Former CSK batter Subramaniam Badrinath also spoke openly about the issue earlier this year. “Ruturaj Gaikwad should not lead CSK. It should be Sanju Samson who should lead them. Ruturaj the batter is too important for CSK. His batting is more important than his captaincy because, anyway, Sanju Samson is a better captain than him. Ruturaj Gaikwad is a phenomenal T20 batter and has done extraordinary things for CSK.”
Gaikwad had the lowest strike rate in the Powerplay and scored only 337 runs in 14 matches at 28.08. Badrinath feels that without the pressure of captaincy, Gaikwad can get back to his best as an opener.
“So once you remove him from captaincy, he’ll perform well as a batter. It won’t be a harsh decision if he is stripped of captaincy. It’s more beneficial for the player and the franchise. It’ll only do Gaikwad a world of good. This is not new only to him. Even greats like Sachin Tendulkar have been affected by captaincy. If you are someone who is intense and thinks too much, it’s hard to detach from captaincy even while batting.”