Michael Hussey drops a major hint on successor of MS Dhoni as Chennai's captain

MS Dhoni, the captain of Chennai, is 41 years old. He will undoubtedly serve as team captain in the 16th Indian T20 League, which will take place entirely in India, the following year. For the 2024 season, the team will nevertheless urgently require a replacement for Dhoni. In 2022, they tried Ravindra Jadeja as captain, but the management was unimpressed and quickly moved on.

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Midway through the season, they handed the reins back to MSD. The veteran cricketer cannot, however, continue forever. There must be someone selected from the group of players who have performed well for the team over the past few seasons.

He is actually very calm when it comes to handling the pressure: Michael Hussey

A name that emerges at the top is Ruturaj Gaikwad, who recently led his domestic team Maharashtra to the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2022 final while also shattering numerous batting records. Gaikwad is a talented batter who is young and composed. He is hailed as the upcoming star of Indian cricket. Michael Hussey, a current team coach and former batter for Chennai, believes he will make the best captain after Dhoni retires.

"I'm not sure what the plans for the future at CSK, but like Dhoni, he is very calm. He is actually very calm when it comes to handling the pressure like Dhoni and he is a very good reader of the game and as I said earlier, he is very observant and I think people are drawn to him because of his nature, character and personality and they like being around him. He has got some excellent leadership qualities," Hussey told The Indian Express.

Gaikwad has been in outstanding form during the domestic 50-over competition. Against Uttar Pradesh, he smashed 220 off 159 balls, which included seven consecutive sixes. He hit 168 off 126 balls in the semifinals before capping the tournament with another hundred in the championship match. However, he could not guide his team through, despite a brilliant show.