Amidst the talk of Sanju Samson becoming the next captain of CSK, Mohammad Kaif has warned. According to him, it would be a mistake to give captaincy to Samson immediately. He should be given 1-2 years time to adjust to the team and understand the environment.
Chennai: There is a lot of talk in IPL that Sanju Samson can be the next big star of Chennai Super Kings (CSK). There are even talks of making him the next captain of the team. But, former Team India player Mohammad Kaif has warned CSK that handing over the captaincy to Sanju now could prove to be a big mistake. Kaif said on his YouTube channel that Sanju Samson is an excellent player, but he should take time to understand the environment of the Chennai team and the huge expectations of the fans.
‘Don’t make that mistake’ – Mohammad Kaif
Mohammad Kaif explained, “It would be a wrong decision to give captaincy to Sanju right now. Because, he does not yet know the culture of the Chennai team. Sanju needs time to know the fans there, their mountain of expectations and the rest of the players of the team closely.”
Kaif stressed that giving big responsibilities to young players all at once has a negative impact on their performance. He reminded that CSK should not repeat the mistake which Team India made in the case of Shubman Gill. Kaif advised, “It is not right to put all the responsibilities on one person. This spoils the natural game of the player. Preparing Sanju after Dhoni is a good plan for the future, but it will have to be done gradually. Let Sanju play only as a batsman for one or two years. Only after that one should think about captaincy.”
Kaif also said that current captain Ruturaj Gaikwad should not be changed yet. According to him, Rituraj has been a part of the team for the last few years and he has a good understanding of the team. Let us tell you that under the leadership of Rituraj, who became the captain after Dhoni in 2024, the team could not reach the playoffs. For this reason, the demand to make Sanju the captain has increased among the fans. Nevertheless, Kaif is of the opinion that instead of putting immediate pressure on Sanju, he should be given a chance to integrate into the team.
Sanju Samson has a lot of experience of captaincy
Wicketkeeper-batsman Sanju Samson, who hails from Kerala, has a lot of captaincy experience. He has captained Rajasthan Royals in IPL and once took the team to the finals. It is believed that Sanju Samson has been brought from Rajasthan Royals to Chennai Super Kings with an eye on future captaincy.