In 2022, Chennai Super Kings (CSK) pressed the transition button when they appointed Ravindra Jadeja as captain following MS Dhoni's decision to step down. However, the team struggled under his leadership, losing six of their first eight matches and reeled at the bottom of the points table.
The transition only lasted a few matches as CSK reinstated Dhoni as captain mid-season in a move that gave rise to a lot of speculation about a possible rift between Jadeja and the team management. The all-rounder was also ruled out of the season due to a rib injury.
Recently, Ravindra Jadeja finally addressed the circumstances surrounding his mid-season removal as the CSK skipper during the 2022 Indian Premier League (IPL). In a candid revelation, he described the experience as "difficult," speaking on the emotional and professional challenges he faced during that period.
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Ravindra Jadeja Breaks Silence on CSK Captaincy Controversy
In a podcast on Ravichandran Ashwin’s YouTube channel, Jadeja admitted that the captaincy stint was challenging and he could have done better.
While taking a part of the blame, he also pointed out the fact that the other players were not performing either and this also did not help the team’s cause one bit.
"It was difficult. In T20 cricket, every ball is an event. It is a fast game but for me it was an experience. I could have done better. As a captain, if you are team is not doing well then all the blame falls on the captaincy. Thinking, bowling changes, fielding chances. Unfortunately, the team was not doing well. If we were winning and everyone was contributing, then it was not rocket science," said Jadeja as quoted on Ashwin's show 'Kutti Stories With Ash.'
"Sometimes, normal things work, but when your players, batters and bowlers don't contribute, you cannot win in the T20 format. I felt I could have done better, could I have done differently," he added.
Emphasising on his point further, the 36-year-old stated that a team’s batting order should be constantly shuffled in T20 cricket.
"A few days I thought, but then I realised that when batsmen and bowlers don't contribute then everything looks negative. If you perform well, then everything looks well. This change worked. In the T20 format, batting order needs to be shuffled," Jadeja opined.
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Ravindra Jadeja Harbours Test Captaincy Ambitions
Although Shubman Gill has been named as India’s captain in the Test format post Rohit Sharma's retirement, Jadeja is not giving up on his dream to lead the national team.
"Yes, definitely! See, what I feel is that over the years, I have played under different captains. I know the mindset of every single captain that I have played under. Every captain has a different mindset on how he wants to run the team. For example MS Dhoni, I have played under him in every format. His thinking is very simple. If he feels that a batter can hit in that region, he will simply take a fielder there. He wants to make them uncomfortable by not putting a fielder where they can’t hit," Jadeja shared.
Also read: "Just One Thing Left" - Ravindra Jadeja Opens Up On Test Captaincy With Ravichandran Ashwin
