'Ruturaj Gaikwad Has Taken Over From a God': Former England Captain Likens MS Dhoni's Presence With That of Sir Alex Ferguson

Three seasons after playing under MS Dhoni, Ruturaj Gaikwad has been handed over one of the most challenging tasks to lead Chennai Super Kings in the IPL 2024. Under Dhoni, CSK became one of the most successfull IPL franchises winning five titles during his reign.

CSK are the defending champions and considering the impact Dhoni has had on the franchise, it Gaikwad will surely be facing the pressure following into the footsteps of the great man.

Former England captain Michael Vaughan feels that Gaikwad hasn’t looked completely in control of the proceedings yet considering Dhoni’s larger-than-life presence in CSK’s dressing room.

“He (Gaikwad) has taken over from a God,” Vaughan said on Cricbuzz. “This situation is like Sir Alex Ferguson is still in the dressing room when the new manager comes in. MS Dhoni is still there. It must be so hard. It is difficult to captain MS but I think it is MS who took that decision to step aside.”

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Gaikwad’s tenure began with back-to-back wins as CSK defeated Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Gujarat Titans. However, they then had to endure two defeats in a row before bouncing back against Kolkata Knight Riders earlier this week.

Gaikwad scored a match-winning half-century against KKR and Vaughan feels that the only way for the CSK captain to deal with the challenging of leading the franchise is by scoring truckloads of runs.

“I am yet to see Ruturaj look completely in control in the middle. The only advice I would give him is to focus on getting as many runs as you possibly can. If he can do that, I think his team will be in a better position and that’s the only way he can get that feel-good factor if the team wins,” Vaughan said.

CSK are currently fourth on the IPL 2024 points table and they will next take on Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium this Sunday.