Captaincy would not have been a surprise for Rutu: Ashwin

Star India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin opened up on Ruturaj Gaikwad taking baton from Mahendra Singh Dhoni to lead Chennai Super Kings, saying it was an "inevitable" decision.

Ahead of the season opener of IPL 2024 against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) at Chepauk Stadium, the Chennai-based franchise on Thursday announced that Gaikwad would take over the responsibilities from the 42-year-old.

The announcement marked the end of Dhoni's long reign at the helm of CSK, during which he led Chennai to five IPL crowns.

While speaking on his official YouTube channel, Ashwin said that this decision had to come at some stage in future.

"This was an inevitable decision. It had to come at some stage. I know MS Dhoni. He keeps the team at the forefront. He keeps thinking about the well-being of the team. Because of that, 2 years ago, he gave the captain's armband to Jadeja. Now he has given it to Ruturaj. This decision had to happen. Who and how remained the question," Ashwin said.

Ashwin further added that this was not a surprise for Gaikwad as Dhoni must have otld him about about this decision earlier.

"Ruturaj wouldn't have thought his role was only a batter until yesterday. I know MS Dhoni very well. Sitting in his room, enjoying dinner with the youngsters, he must have told Ruturaj last year, I wouldn't be surprised if that was the case. I definitely think it was not a surprise for Ruturaj. 'Brother, you are going to take charge. You can do all these things. I will be there, don't worry' is something that Dhoni might have told Ruturaj well in advance," Ashwin remarked.

Following his official announcement as CSK's skipper, Gaikwad admitted that Dhoni had given him a subtle hint about a change in the team's leadership last season.

"Last year itself, Mahi bhai had hinted about captaincy at some point in time. He just hinted that 'be ready, it shouldn't be a surprise to you'. When we came into the camp, he involved me in some of the match simulations," he told IPLT20.com.

The 17th season of the IPL will start on Friday, with defending champions Chennai set to clash with Bengaluru in the Southern derby at MA Chidambaram Stadium.