Former India head coach Ravi Shastri has paid rich tribute to Chennai Super Kings (CSK) captain MS Dhoni after he led his side to the IPL 2023 title win by defeating Gujarat Titans (GT) in the final in Ahmedabad on Monday.
With the win, Dhoni’s CSK side has equaled Mumbai Indians (MI) with the record fifth title in the IPL.
Former India captain Dhoni, one of the most decorated players in the sport’s history, made his 250th appearance in the lucrative tournament on Tuesday. The player with the most IPL appearances also tied MI captain Rohit Sharma for the most titles won as captain.
Speaking of Dhoni’s unrivaled IPL legacy, former Indian head coach Shastri praised the CSK captain for playing all 250 games in the prestigious competition.
“250 IPL matches is a tribute to MS Dhoni’s fitness. No one can match the kind of legacy Dhoni is going to leave behind in this tournament. He is called Thala by the whole of Chennai and Tamil Nadu. The love and adulation a guy from Jharkhand receives down south from fans of CSK is testimony to the greatness of this cricketer,” Shastri told Star Sports.
This was also the 226th time MS Dhoni captained a side in the Indian Premier League.
‘Expectations Are Going To Be High From CSK’: Harbhajan Singh On IPL 2024
Dhoni, who was under consideration for calling it quits at the end of the current season, hasn’t ruled out captaining the Chennai Super Kings in the richest event in the globe in 2024. Former CSK player Harbhajan Singh shared his thoughts on Dhoni’s future, predicting that the former India captain will continue to captain Chennai in the upcoming campaign.
“This is the biggest news for fans. MS Dhoni will come back next year and he will return with even better fitness. Fans will get to witness their beloved Thala don that yellow jersey again. The expectations are going to be high from CSK next year and this team knows pretty well how to handle that pressure of expectations,” Harbhajan added.