The sudden captaincy change of Chennai Super Kings from MS Dhoni to Ruturaj Gaikwad has been grabbing the headline. From the time IPL started, MS Dhoni has been a constant for CSK as captain. Ravindra Jadeja was made the skipper but he relinquished the captaincy after eight games. Now, it seems Ruturaj Gaikwad’s appointment as CSK skipper is for the long term. Last season, after CSK  won their fifth IPL, MS Dhoni hinted he might shift to a more mentorship role.

Talking about the change, CSK star Shivam Dube said he was taken by surprise.

“I found out two days ago and I was shocked. I think he’s handed it to the perfect person. Ruturaj is quite like Dhoni, very cool and calm,” Dube said on Jio Cinema.

“It’s really fun because I have played under him before. I know what kind of a captain he is, how he behaves, and what he expects from me.”

India all-rounder Shivam Dube said he relishes finishing the crunch games — an art he learnt by following his legendary CSK colleague MS Dhoni. Dube played a crucial 34-run cameo and also shared an unbeaten 66-run partnership for the fifth wicket with Ravindra Jadeja (25 not out) to lead defending champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK) to a six-wicket win over against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) on Friday.

“It was amazing. Finishing the game for Chennai is always something that amazes me. That’s what I have learnt from Mahi bhai, and I try to do it every game,” Dube told IPLT20.com “It feels very good when you finish the game like this, especially during the first game of the season. So, it always feels special.” Chasing a target of 174, CSK were off to a confident start with debutant Rachin Ravindra (37) being the main aggressor. He was also the top scorer for the side.

The talented New Zealander praised his skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad for handling the tough chase well.

“It was nice to have a partnership with Rutu. Obviously, he’s done this for a long period for Chennai,” he told Dube in the IPL video.

“The calming presence that he had and also building the partnership with Jinx (Ajinkya Rahane) was pretty cool in front of the full house. The wicket was beautiful, so it made life a lot easier.” Ravindra was also amazed by the capacity Chepauk crowd cheering at the top of its voice for CSK.

“It was crazy; the crowd was incredible, one of the loudest I have ever experienced. It was unbelievable. Hopefully, we have more wins here to get the crowd going,” he concluded.

CSK play their next game against last season’s runner-up, Gujarat Titans, here on Tuesday.

With PTI inputs