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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Trump says he is planning to attend Jimmy Carter's funeral
Palm Beach (AP/PTI): President-elect Donald Trump said Tuesday that he's planning to attend the funeral of former President Jimmy Carter.
Asked about it as he walked into a New Year's Eve party at his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida, Trump responded, "I'll be there.” Pressed on whether he'd spoken to members of Carter's family, Trump said he'd rather not say.
Funeral services honouring Carter, who died Sunday at age 100, will be held in Georgia and Washington, beginning January 4 and concluding January 9.
Trump was a frequent and fierce critic of Carter on the campaign trail ahead of November's election, using the rising inflation rates of the 1970s to unfavourably compare President Joe Biden to Carter and his administration.
But the president-elect was gracious about the former president in posts on his social media site after Carter's death Sunday, writing that the nation “owed him a debt of gratitude.”
“While I strongly disagreed with him philosophically and politically, I also realised that he truly loved and respected our Country, and all it stands for,” Trump wrote of Carter. “He worked hard to make America a better place, and for that I give him my highest respect.”
Wearing a tuxedo as he entered the festivities, Trump took a few minutes of questions from reporters on various topics. He was asked about the possibility of a ceasefire in Israel's war with Hamas in Gaza, but said only, “We're going to see what happens."
The president-elect added of hostages seized more than a year ago by Hamas, “I'll put it this way: They better let the hostages come back soon."
Trump also said he thought 2025 would be a “great year” and "we're going to do fantastically well as a country.”
“There's a whole light over the whole world, not just our country. They're a lot of happy people,” Trump said of recent weeks.
Asked about his resolutions for the new year, Trump said, “I just want everybody to be happy, healthy and well.”
Trump later took the stage to briefly address the crowd ringing in the new year at Mar-a-Lago and promised “to do a great job as your president.”
Biden, for his part, spent New Year's Eve celebrating the wedding of his niece Missy Owens in Greenville, Delaware, followed by the reception in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania. Biden and first lady Jill Biden cut short their traditional holiday trip to the US Virgin Islands to attend the ceremony.
