It was MS Dhoni's name at hand over the Chennai Super Kings captaincy to Ruturaj Gaikwad, forward of IPL 2024, their head coach Stephen Fleming has revealed on the eve of the event opener in Chennai.

"It was MS [Dhoni's decision] with a lot of consideration and one view to the future on the back of a good season last year," Fleming stated at his press convention on Thursday. "The timing was good. Behind the scenes, Ruturaj and others have been on a, say, a captaincy-grooming process, looking forward to days like this and the opportunities come up, but MS is the best judge and he felt the time was right."

Fleming stated that the captaincy change in 2022 was little bit of a wake-up name and that the franchise is now better-prepared to work beneath a brand new captain and construct for the long run.

"Well, the big thing about a couple of years ago was that we probably weren't ready for MS to move aside," Fleming stated. "And what that did was probably shake us as a leadership group or coaches into looking at the possibility when he does go. And up until that stage, it was almost unthinkable, but it sowed the seed. So, we've worked pretty hard on making sure that any mistakes that were made during then aren't made again. And that the leadership isn't a secret."

"Yeah, I hope so. It's getting that balance right without interfering, but also providing that leadership that you can't ignore," Fleming stated. "It's been too long and he's too big a presence that you don't just turn that off, you use it. And finding that balance and being able to use the Jadejas and Dhonis and help Ruturaj as he develops is very important. In the middle, we'll take a little bit of trial and error to a degree.

"Ruturaj could be very confident. Again, he is not essentially the most demonstrative captain or particular person round, however he is acquired an excellent method together with his fellow gamers and he is very well-respected. So I feel my understanding from the senior gamers is the need to assist."

Gaikwad is looking forward to leaning on the experience of Dhoni and Co. "[It] feels good. It's a privilege, however greater than that, it's a big duty," Gaikwad told CSK's social-media channels. "I'm actually excited due to the form of group we now have. Everyone is skilled sufficient. So there's not a lot of a factor for me to do. I've Mahi [Dhoni] bhai within the group, Jaddu [Jadeja] bhai, and Ajju [Rahane] bhai, who've been nice captains to information me."

Fleming revealed that Ruturaj Gaikwad has started to get groomed as CSK's captain behind the scenes•BCCI

"So, we have been working very onerous on ensuring that the plans are in place, [so] that every one gamers are extra self-sufficient," Fleming said. "And we're. It's not [the case that] MS solely has an exquisite sense of the sport, however one of many issues we're happy with is the event of younger gamers.

"Last year [Tushar] Deshpande came through and then own that space and has done well in domestic cricket. So, it proves that giving ownership and trust to players really works. It's not just the captain's job to pull the strings.

"So, we're taking a look at that. And as I say, we're extra ready now as a result of they jolted us into taking a look at life after [Dhoni]. And in some methods, we have been a bit gradual in doing that as a administration group."

Deivarayan Muthu is a sub-editor at ESPNcricinfo