Ruturaj Gaikwad has all the abilities that MS Dhoni has, says Virender Sehwag

Virender Sehwag has opined that Ruturaj Gaikwad has all the qualities that MS Dhoni has and the Maharashtra skipper can be the one who can lead Chennai Super Kings in the future. Dhoni, 40, gave the CSK captaincy post to Ravindra Jadeja, but the latter gave up after getting little success.

Defending champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK) are not having a pleasant campaign this year in the Indian Premier League (IPL). They are currently placed ninth on the points table, only above Mumbai Indians (MI) and are already out of the race for Playoffs. Two days ahead of the tournament-opener, MS Dhoni handed over the baton to Ravindra Jadeja for CSK captaincy, but the star all-rounder, after constant failures, asked Dhoni to take the responsibility again. Dhoni accepted Jadeja's request, but it was too late to stage a miracle.

Dhoni, already 40, is unlikely to continue as CSK captain for so long. Sehwag feels Ruturaj Gaikwad should be the next CSK captain, as he has got all the qualities like Dhoni has.

"He (Gaikwad) captains Maharashtra. He is very quiet in his demeanor. Even if scores a 100, it will not look like from his behaviour that he has scored that many. Even if he scores zero, his mannerisms are the same. You cannot make out from his expressions that he is very happy after scoring a 100 or he is very sad after scoring 0. He is very calm, he has shown all the glimpses of being a good captain," Sehwag told.

"He has captained in first-class cricket; he has the idea of how to control the game. Anyone can have a good season, if he plays 3-4 seasons so he can be someone who can become a long-term captain after Dhoni. I can just give my opinion but the final call is with CSK. Why everyone rates MS Dhoni very highly? He is very cool; he takes his own decisions and he has the luck factor with him. But luck favours those who take brave decisions. So, I think Ruturaj Gaikwad has all the qualities, I do not know whether he will bring the luck factor but he has all the other qualities that MS Dhoni has."

CSK's remaining two fixtures will be against Gujarat Titans (GT) and Rajasthan Royals (RR) respectively. They have won four matches and lost eight so far.