Mumbai, April 4: Chennai Super Kings (CSK) skipper Ravindra Jadeja said that he felt no pressure of captaining the side as he was mentally ready to take up a leadership role. On March 26, a day before the 2022 Indian Premier League (IPL) opener, Mahendra Singh Dhoni announced his decision to step down from captaincy role and handed over the baton to Jadeja.
“I have been preparing since he (Dhoni) told me few months ago. Mentally, I was ready to lead. I don’t have any pressure on me. I am just backing my instincts, going with whatever thoughts came to my mind,” Jadeja said on Sunday after the match against Punjab Kings (PBKS). Chennai suffered a 54-run defeat at the hands of Punjab Kings in their third match on Sunday. Defending champions CSK had a dismal start to the 2022 IPL suffering three defeats on the trot.
Moreover, Jadeja is yet to register his maiden win as a captain. Speaking about the match against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) he praised Dhoni’s presence in the field for advice and said that CSK were lucky to have him in the squad. “No, the last match (against LSG) was a high-scoring game so there are chances of catches at deep mid-wicket and our thinking was that it would be better a good fielder had to be there. So, I was not able to communicate with the bowlers much.”
“But Mahi Bhai gives inputs, that is good, he is so experienced so we don’t have to look anywhere else for advice. He’s a legend and has been captaining for so many years, that experience is there in our dressing room only so we are lucky to have his advice,” he said. “In T20 cricket it’s a matter of one match. If you win one match the momentum comes your way. One win will put us on the right track and give us the rhythm because all our players are so experienced that you don’t need to tell anyone anything because everyone knows their game. We are working hard towards that,” he added. Eying their first win of the season, CSK will next play Sunrisers Hyderabad here at DY Patil Sports Academy on April 9. UNI
