When I heard Jadeja would lead CSK, I was blown away! Feel sorry for him: Shane Watson amid IPL 2022

Former Chennai Super Kings (CSK) opener Shane Watson has admitted to being surprised at Ravindra Jadeja taking over the captaincy from MS Dhoni. Watson feels Dhoni's shoes were always going to be too big for the all-rounder to fill.

CSK won just two out of their eight games under Jadeja's captaincy, affecting the 33-year-old's performances. He subsequently made a brave call to return the captaincy to Dhoni so that he could concentrate more on delivering consistently for the IPL team.

Speaking on 'The Grade Cricketer' podcast, Shane Watson explained why he sympathized with what Jadeja has had to go through in the past month, saying:

"When I had initially heard that Jadeja was going to take over, I was blown away! Because everyone knows the kind of respect and aura that MS Dhoni has on the field, it was always going to be difficult for Jadeja no matter what. In the end I do feel a little bit sorry for Jadeja, because he is a great cricketer and is only getting better."

Shane Watson himself had to step down from the captaincy when he was with the Rajasthan Royals. He thus understands exactly how embarrassing it might have been for Jadeja to not produce results as a captain.

"But to see that they publicly sort of put him in that position, he really didn't have to get to that stage," he said. "I stepped down as a captain for Rajasthan so I know how difficult it is when you are under pressure, so kudos to Jadeja for making that call."

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"MS Dhoni can absolutely do whatever he wants" - Shane Watson

Shane Watson believes CSK skipper Dhoni has earned the right to decide when he wants to step down from the captaincy and hang up his boots. Even at the age of 40, Dhoni has shown glimpses of brilliance with the bat and is still a very capable leader.

On this, Shane Watson stated:

"Even though Jadeja was told that he would potentially take over, things do change. If MS wants to play on, he can absolutely do whatever he wants. He has led CSK to another championship. Also deep down he had a point to prove in his batting and he showed that this season. The whole franchise is built around MS, whether it's just the leadership structure, team dynamics. He is the man to lead the franchise."

With CSK almost out of the race to the playoffs, it will be interesting to see how Dhoni mentors the youngsters in the team. He might also look for other future captaincy candidates after Jadeja's failure.