Rohit Sharma posts a special message as MS Dhoni steps down as CSK captain ahead of IPL 2024

Team India captain Rohit Sharma dedicated a special post to MS Dhoni after the latter decided to relinquish his captaincy ahead of IPL 2024. Ruturaj Gaikwad took over the reins of the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) side from Dhoni and will lead them this year.

Dhoni ended his leadership tenure on a high note by winning the IPL trophy for a record-equalling fifth time last year in Ahmedabad.

There was no official announcement about the change in captaincy from CSK until Rututraj Gaikwad attended the captains' photoshoot on the eve of the opening match of IPL 2024 on Thursday. IPL and CSK's official social media handles then confirmed the news about the change in leadership.

After learning about the development, fans and cricket community members took to social media platforms to pay tribute to MS Dhoni's captaincy era in the IPL. Rohit Sharma also did the same by sharing a photo of himself and Dhoni on his Instagram story with a handshake emoji.

You can watch it below:

Rohit's latest Instagram story about MS Dhoni.

Rohit Sharma and MS Dhoni are widely considered the best captains in IPL history, winning the trophy five times each. It will be the first season in IPL where either of the two iconic players will not be captaining a team.

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"This is your opportunity" - Aakash Chopra urges Rohit Sharma to have 500+ runs season in IPL 2024 without MI captaincy pressure

Former Indian opener Aakash Chopra recently opined that Rohit Sharma should aim to have a 500-600 runs season this year as he does not have the added burden of leading the MI side. He feels that Sharma should look to play without any pressure and destroy opposition bowling attacks.

In a video on his YouTube channel on the matter, Chopra said:

"Rohit Sharma - he has had just one 500-run season. This is that season where you can score 500-600 runs and destroy everyone. Try to play once without the pressures of captaincy.

He continued:

"The captaincy pressure from a long time might just be bogging him down. It happens at times that you have so much responsibility, you don't enjoy yourself and your game. This is your opportunity."

Do you think MI and CSK made the right decisions with the appointment of new captains? Let us know in the comments section below.