If Suresh Rains had his ways at CSK, he would have wanted captain MS Dhoni to play for five more years for the Super Kings from Chennai. After winning the title for the record-equalling fifth time, Dhoni said that he still has not thought about retiring. After the 2023 final, he told the IPL presenters that he has not retired yet and would think about coming back for IPL 2024 after taking a look at his body.
IPL 2024 is just two days away and what we know is that CSK have not changed their captain. Dhoni is fit as ever, has long locks and is returning in a fresh avatar. The Captain Cool knows a thing or two about staying calm and fit. He is inspiring generations with his commitment and fitness levels. He will be 43 years old but his fans and friends want him to carry on.
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Ahead of IPL 2024’s opening game between CSK vs RCB, Suresh Raina, CSK’s very own ‘Chinna Thala’, has made a big statement. Raina wants Dhoni to play at least 2 or 3 years for CSK. If he stays fit, Raina wants Dhoni to extend carerr by five more years. Raina, who is also a JioCinema IPL expert, said, “It’s important now to see how he plans for the future. He’s 42-years-old. I would love to see him play for five more years, or at least two or three more years.
Raina also commented on who should lead Dhoni after he is done with the league. Raina feels Ruturaj Gaikwas, the opener, is one big candidate. Ruturaj has spent four years at the CSK franchise and is a very calm and composed cricketer just like Dhoni. All-rounder Ravindra Jadeja was also given the captaincy charge in IPL 2022 but he did not last long in the role and transferred the job back to ‘Thala’ Dhoni. CSK did not make it the playoffs that year but next year, they won the championship again.
Zaheer Khan spoke a very lovely thing on Dhoni. The former pacer who won the 2011 World Cup for India with MSD, said Dhoni would prefer being remembered as a good person more than a good cricketer. Zaheer said, “When you’re playing, switching off (from the game) is very important. Cricket is not everything. Every cricketer has to face this eventually. When you step away from the game, you may not have a lot of options. We’ve seen many athletes struggle after retiring because they gave everything to the game, and when they left it, they didn’t know what to do. In this sense, MS Dhoni understood a long time ago that he is passionate about cricket and it is an integral part of his life. But it couldn’t be everything. He keeps doing things outside of the sport. For example, his interest in bikes. He’s always researching them.”
