Wasim Akram takes on Dhoni’s successor in the CSK camp
What if Dhoni really pulled the curtain on his IPL career after 2023? Who will lead CSK in the future?
Wherever he goes, he finds endless support from fans; this has been the aura of MS Dhoni. The legendary wicket-striker is not active in international cricket but whenever he enters the stadium in his Chennai Super Kings (CSK) yellow jersey, the crowd goes wild and welcomes him chanting his name. On Sunday, he turned back the clock when he went out to bat against the Punjab Kings in Mohali. With two balls remaining in CSK’s innings, the captain smashed back-to-back sixes as people on social media called him the ‘ultimate finisher’.
Dhoni kicked the ball superbly and even at 41 he is quite fast running between the wickets. But at the same time, it is heavily speculated that this year will be his last IPL season. But what if Dhoni really pulls back the curtain on his IPL career after 2023? Who will lead CSK in the future?
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These questions will surely cross the minds of all CSK fans, but former Pakistani captain Wasim Akram has suggested a name that can carry forward the team’s legacy. In a chat with Sportskeeda, the legendary fast bowler said he backs Indian veteran Ajinkya Rahane to take the reins at Dhoni should the current skipper announce his retirement after this season.
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“CSK had tried Ravindra Jadeja as captain in IPL 2022 and saw his own performance was affected. They had to change captains. I think they won’t have a better option than Rahane because he can become consistent and is a homegrown player. We have seen homegrown players do better in franchise cricket,” Akram told Sportskeeda.
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Rahane was drafted by CSK at his base price of Rs 50 lakhs during the mini-auction held in Kochi last year. The veteran hitter announced his arrival with 50 from 19 and has scored more than 200 runs in the season so far.
Akram said that instead of giving the responsibility to a foreign player, it was better to have Rahane in the lead role.
“As for the foreign players, they don’t even remember the names of the players, so how can they lead. So, I think Rahane is a great choice to lead Chennai if Dhoni says he’s had enough. CSK may have its own plans, but it’s a franchise that plans with a lot of thought, played by Stephen Fleming, who knows the culture of the team inside and out and the players trust him completely as well.” concluded Akram.
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