IPL 2022 | 'He looked like a fish out of the water' - Ravi Shastri on Ravindra Jadeja's captaincy

Ravindra Jadeja, who was appointed the captain of the second most successful franchise in the tournament's history, relinquished Chennai Super Kings captaincy midseason as he wanted to 'focus more on his game' and handed in it over to former skipper MS Dhoni.

The Super Kings, who had seen a terrible start to the season, managed to win four games, out of which two came under MS Dhoni in just three games. They are currently placed at the ninth spot of the points table and are already out of the playoffs race. 

Ravi Shastri, the former India head coach, in a recent conversation with ESPNcricinfo, said that Ravindra Jadeja didn't look like a natural captain and seemed more like a 'fish out of water' during his short tenure as the captain of Chennai Super Kings in IPL 2022.

"He [Jadeja] is not a natural captain. He hasn't captained at any level. So, to give him the responsibility I thought was a little hard on Jadeja," Shastri pointed out.

"People might want to judge Jaddu, but it's not his fault. He hasn't been captained anywhere. He looked like a fish out of the water, totally out of place, and he's far better off playing as a player. Because he's one of the best players in the business, when it comes to all-rounders," Shastri added. 

Shastri also opined that MS Dhoni, who stepped down from the captaincy role before the commencement of IPL 2022 but was brought back at the helm by the franchise after Jadeja gave up on the leadership role, should lead the yellow brigade next year as well if he's fit and ready to play. 

"So let him just focus on his cricket. That [decision to give him the captaincy] cost CSK a few games early on. If you see the form they're in now, if they had this going early on, they'll be right up there in the mix." 

While returning as the captain of the Chennai Super Kings, Dhoni said that Jadeja felt the burden of captaincy and was not enjoying the job; hence, he decided to give up and focus more on his game.

"Once you become captain, it means a lot of demands come in. But it affected his mind as the tasks grew. I think captaincy burdened his prep and performances," Dhoni had added.

Jadeja's dip in form was a cause of concern for the franchise, and hence after discussing it with head coach Fleming and the management, Jadeja decided that he would continue as a player. This season, Jadeja has managed only 116 runs at an average of 19.33, the lowest in the last three years. Even with the ball, he has not impressed much as he has got only five wickets at an economy rate of 7.52.