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'He May Have Felt Hurt..,' CSK CEO Gives Insider Scoop On Supposed Jadeja-Dhoni Rift

image-lj5msvv5Dhoni and Jadeja. (Twitter)

Chennai Super Kings CEO Kasi Viswanathan has dismissed the rumors of a rift between Ravindra Jadeja and MS Dhoni during the IPL 2023. Last year, there was uncertainty over the captaincy of CSK when Dhoni initially stepped down in favor of Jadeja but later resumed the role after a poor start to the season. Speculation about tensions between the two former Indian teammates surfaced, exacerbated by Jadeja unfollowing CSK on Twitter. 

However, the situation eventually normalised as Dhoni apparently convinced Jadeja to continue with the franchise. This decision proved beneficial as Jadeja played a crucial role in CSK's record-equalling fifth IPL championship victory by scoring the winning runs.

The rumors resurfaced this year when Ravindra Jadeja made a comment during a broadcast, stating, "They wait for me to get out," referring to fans chanting for MS Dhoni. This incident prompted Jadeja to share a series of cryptic tweets on Twitter, although he never directly mentioned Dhoni. However, Chennai Super Kings CEO Kasi Viswanathan clarified the situation, stating that while Jadeja may have been disappointed, he never harboured any negative feelings towards Dhoni.

"As far as Jadeja is concerned, he bowled superbly. While batting, our line-up of Ruturaj, Conway, Moeen, Rahane, with the results, whenever he [Jadeja] went in to bat, he had 5-10 balls left. In such situations, it can or can't click sometimes. But the thing is he also knew Dhoni was to come in next, and he himself would get just 2-3 balls sometimes. In such situations whenever he went in, the crowd used to welcome Dhoni. In a way, he may have felt hurt. Any player for that matter may have had that pressure. But he didn't complain about it even though he put out a tweet," he told ESPNCricinfo during an interview.

During the match against Delhi Capitals, MS Dhoni was seen engaged in a heated conversation with Ravindra Jadeja, adding fuel to the reports of tension between them. Chennai Super Kings CEO Kasi Viswanathan was even seen speaking to Jadeja following the match. However, these reports proved to be unfounded when Jadeja displayed a unique gesture by hugging Dhoni after leading CSK to victory. To further dispel any doubts, Jadeja changed his display picture (DP) on social media to that of the CSK captain.

"It's all part and parcel of the game. After the last game, people saw videos online and assumed I'm pacifying Jadeja, but it wasn't like that. I was talking to him about the match, what he did. We didn't have any other discussion. Everyone knows in a team environment, what happens in the dressing room, no one is privy to it outside. We don't have any problem. He always had high respect for Dhoni. After the final also, he said, 'I dedicate this knock to Dhoni.' That is the kind of respect he has for MS," he added.

Incidentally, Jadeja played a match-winning knock in the 2023 IPL final to take CSK to a memorable victory against Gujarat Titans.