It was inevitable, had to happen: R Ashwin on Dhoni relinquishing CSK captaincy
Jaipur, Mar 22: Veteran all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin says Ruturaj Gaikwad has not been rushed into leadership role in the IPL because the way Mahendra Singh Dhoni is, the legendary player must have spoken to the opener for the CSK captaincy long back.
A day before the start 2024 season, Chennai Super Kings (CSK) announced that Dhoni has handed over the reins of the team to Gaikwad.
CSK had attempted the leadership transition even in the 2022 edition, but it did not work out, with Ravindra Jadeja handing back the captaincy duties to Dhoni after eight games.
Ashwin said the decision was not surprising.
"This decision was inevitable and it was coming at some stage. I have known MS Dhoni, and he keeps the team at the forefront and keeps thinking about the team's well-being," Ashwin said on his YouTube channel.
"Because of that, two years ago, he had given the captain's armband to Jadeja. He has handed it to Ruturaj now. The decision had to happen, while who and how was the question."
Ashwin reckoned that the decision couldn't have been a last-moment one.
"Ruturaj wouldn't have thought that he would be playing only as a batter until yesterday. I believe Dhoni must have told Ruturaj last year - 'Brother, you are going to take charge. You can do it. I will be there, so you don't need to worry'," said Ashwin.
As far as Gaikwad as a leader is concerned, Ashwin backed him to succeed, drawing his character parallel to Dhoni's and rating both as calm and composed personalities.
"I have known Ruturaj, an extremely cool and calm, and a very good human being. Extremely elated for him," added Ashwin.
Mahi bhai had hinted about captaincy last year: Gaikwad
Following his official announcement as CSK's skipper, Gaikwad admitted that Dhoni had given him a subtle hint about a change in the team's leadership last season.
"Last year itself, Mahi bhai had hinted about captaincy at some point in time. He just hinted that 'be ready, it shouldn't be a surprise to you'. When we came into the camp, he involved me in some of the match simulations," he told IPLT20.com.
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21-year-old engineering student held for sending threat mails to Gautam Gambhir
New Delhi, Apr 26 (PTI): The Delhi Police has arrested a 21-year-old engineering student with alleged mental health issues for sending threat mails to the head coach of men's cricket team and former BJP MP Gautam Gambhir, an official said on Saturday.
The accused, identified as Jigneshsinh Parmar from Gujarat, was arrested on Friday.
Police said Parmar sent threat mails to Gambhir on April 22 -- the day terrorists gunned down 26 people in Kashmir's Pahalgam -- from a suspicious Gmail account.
In a statement, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Central) M Harsha Vardhan said, "Parmar is an engineering student. His family claims that he is suffering from mental health issues. Further investigation is in progress."
The police had earlier stated that they have been informed about an alleged threat mail received on an email ID associated with Gautam Gambhir.
An email complaint was filed with Rajinder Nagar police station along with screenshots of the threat mails.
Gambhir received two threat mails reading "I Kill You" from a sender identifying as "ISIS Kashmir", police sources said.
"Gautam Gambhir is already a Delhi Police protectee. We do not comment on specific security arrangements," the DCP said in the statement.
This is not the first time that Gambhir was threatened. In 2022 he had received similar threats, prompting the authorities to tighten his security measures.
