"MS Dhoni kept his ego aside" - Irfan Pathan on Ravindra Jadeja being CSK's 1st retention ahead of the skipper

Irfan Pathan has lauded MS Dhoni for keeping his ego aside and allowing Ravindra Jadeja to be the Chennai Super Kings' (CSK) first retention ahead of the talismanic skipper.

CSK have retained four players - Dhoni, Jadeja, Moeen Ali and Ruturaj Gaikwad - ahead of the IPL 2022 auction. While Jadeja has been signed as the first pick for 16 crores, Dhoni will get 12 crores for being the second player retained.

While reflecting on CSK's retentions during a discussion on Star Sports, Irfan Pathan spoke highly of MS Dhoni for keeping the team's interests above his own. He said:

"It is very difficult to be practical when you are such a big player. We have seen many players putting their egos ahead. MS Dhoni kept his ego aside and said that he is not at his peak."

The former CSK player highlighted that MS Dhoni deserves praise for acknowledging that Jadeja brings more to the table. Pathan elaborated:

"There is a guy here [Jadeja] who has performed very well and won matches, his potential has become fantastic both with the bat and ball, give him the No. 1 and I will come at No. 2. This is praiseworthy, you will always praise MS Dhoni off the field in this context."

MS Dhoni did not have a great time with the bat in IPL 2021. The CSK skipper scored just 114 runs in the tournament at a below-par average of 16.28. However, he smoked an unbeaten 18 off just six deliveries to help the franchise put it across the Delhi Capitals in the first qualifier.

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"MS Dhoni would have been okay to be retained at No. 4 also" - Aakash Chopra

MS Dhoni was even unsure if he should be retained by CSK

Aakash Chopra added that MS Dhoni would have even agreed to be the fourth player retained if CSK had given him that option. He observed:

"If MS Dhoni was asked, he would have been okay to be retained at No. 4 also. Moeen Ali has also taken a pay cut. He had gone with the franchise at 9 crores and now he is at 8 crores."

The former India opener concluded by pointing out that Jadeja's stature has grown by leaps and bounds lately and expressed hope that he continues in the same vein. Chopra stated:

"Ravindra Jadeja is an important player and his stature is growing. He had hit 37 runs in an over, he bowls amazingly well and no one can doubt his fielding, he is that kind of a player. The expectation is he will go on moving forward like this."

Jadeja smashed 227 runs in IPL 2021, doing so at an outstanding average of 75.66 along with an impressive strike rate of 145.51. The all-rounder also scalped 13 wickets in the tournament while conceding an average of just 7.06 runs per over.