I believe Ruturaj Gaikwad will benefit greatly from MS Dhoni’s assistance: Tom Moody

Before the Indian Premier League (IPL 2024), MS Dhoni made the startling decision to step down as captain of the Chennai Super Kings and give the captaincy to Ruturaj Gaikwad. In 2022, the five-time champions gave Ravindra Jadeja the captaincy, but it was a mistake as Dhoni assumed the position midway through the competition. Gaikwad has a lot of experience guiding a side, though, unlike Jadeja. As captain, he has done an amazing job; India won the Asian Games in 2023 thanks to his guidance.

He has performed well for Maharastra as well, but the IPL looks to be a challenging assignment, and according to veteran cricketer Tom Moody, the 27-year-old will require MS Dhoni‘s assistance. He anticipates that this season, the renowned cricket player would act as a coach and help Gaikwad develop so that he is ready for Dhoni’s absence. Additionally, Moody stated that he thinks Dhoni will play most of the games in the 2024 Indian Premier League because CSK has 18-year-old Aravelly Avanish as a backup.

“This season, I envision him playing for the most part. There’s an U19 wicketkeeper as a backup. It is not advisable to dismiss him immediately. If he had chosen to retire at all, the conclusion of the previous season after winning the championship would have been the appropriate time. However, Moody told ESPN cricinfo, “I don’t see him playing at all.”

However, since he has chosen to take on the mentor role for this season, I believe he will be a key player in supporting Ruturaj Gaikwad.

It is likely that Dhoni was asked if he thought he could make it through the entire tournament: Tom Moody

Moreover, MS Dhoni had to resign as captain because Tom Moody thinks the cricketer may not have fully recovered. He said that the Ranchi-born cricket player had played a lot of cricket throughout his career, which may have had an adverse effect on his health. As a precaution, he decided to step down as the captain of CSK.

When I first heard the news, I wondered if it meant that Dhoni’s physical training up to that point hadn’t gone according to plan. Recall that he is 40 years old and has played a significant amount of cricket, which can be physically taxing for a keeper. He was probably questioned about his ability to compete for the entire tournament, so this allows him some flexibility without jeopardizing the team. This might indeed be the case, Moody said in his conclusion.