"It Was Difficult...": Ravindra Jadeja Breaks Silence On Controversial CSK Captaincy Snub

NDTV

6 days ago

All-rounder Ravindra Jadeja finally broke silence on his mid-season removal as Chennai Super Kings skipper in IPL 2022. Three years ago, the all-rounder was appointed as the new leader of CSK after regular skipper and the legendary wicketkeeper-batter MS Dhoni decided to step down. However, the decision backfired as CSK lost the first four games and were stuck at the bottom of the points table. After eight matches, the franchise sacked Jadeja from the captaincy and brought Dhoni back into the role but that also could not save them from getting knocked out of the playoffs race.
After the season, there were many speculations regarding the rift between Jadeja and CSK and some reports even suggested that the all-rounder will be partying ways with the franchise in the upcoming season. However, all the speculations were put to rest after he played for CSK in 2023 and even guided them to their fifth title with his match-winning performance in the final against Gujarat Titans.
Three years later, Jadeja appeared on a podcast of his CSK teammate Ravichandran Ashwin and opened up about the controversy.
"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 on Ravichandran Ashwin's YouTube Channel on his flagship 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.
Jadeja further stated that during T20 matches, it is important for the captain to keep shuffling the batting order, in order to get the momentum right.
"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," said Jadeja.
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