Ravindra Jadeja took over Chennai Super Kings' (CSK) captaincy from MS Dhoni on Thursday ahead of the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 season. The news surprised cricket fans around the world, with former CSK star Subramaniam Badrinath sharing his opinion on the development. Speaking to Times Now, the former India player said that Jadeja "has never led any team" and that could be an issue which "needs to be looked at". "Jadeja has always been a bowler but in the last two years, he has improved as a batsman tremendously. The biggest part of his game in which he has improved is his batting. His batting has made him a proper all-rounder, a proper 3D cricketer", the 41-year-old said.
"Now there's a fourth dimension as well. He will be a 4D cricketer because captaincy is also there. The only thing is that he has never led any team, even in First-Class cricket. That is the only thing that needs to be looked at. As for his value to the team, we all know it."
"The thing is, he already has the load. He has to be fielding in the hotspot. He has to do bowling, batting, and now there's captaincy also", he further added.
Fans were particularly stunned with the news as CSK take on KKR in the season opener on Saturday, at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
Jadeja was one of the four players to be retained by CSK after IPL 2021. The other three cricketers are Dhoni, Moeen Ali and Ruturaj Gaikwad.
In total, Jadeja has played in 200 IPL games and has registered 2,386 runs with a high score of 62 not out. In the bowling department, he has taken 127 wickets including three four-wicket hauls and a five-wicket haul.
Last season during CSK's victorious campaign, Jadeja smacked 227 runs in 16 games and also took 13 wickets.