CSK captain pulls off Lionel Messi celebration in team's practice session ahead of IPL 2025 [Watch]

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) captain Ruturaj Gaikwad was recently seen playing football during the side's practice session ahead of the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) season. He indulged in a game in which he needed to kick the ball into a small basket.

After finally succeeding in the pursuit following a few failed attempts, Gaikwad pulled off legendary footballer Lionel Messi's famous celebration. Sharing the video on their official Instagram handle, CSK wrote:

"Wait for it.......It's all in the game! 💛🙌."

Former skipper MS Dhoni handed over the CSK captaincy reins to Ruturaj Gaikwad just before the start of IPL 2024. In his first season as skipper, the five-time champions finished fifth in the points table after seven wins and as many losses from 14 outings.

They narrowly missed out on a playoffs spot to Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) on the basis of net run rate. Gaikwad was the side's leading run-scorer in the edition, amassing 583 runs across 14 innings at an average of 53.

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"I won’t interfere" - Ruturaj Gaikwad reveals MS Dhoni's message after being appointed as CSK's new captain

Ruturaj Gaikwad recently shared details of his conversation with MS Dhoni after being appointed as the CSK captain ahead of IPL 2024. He stated that the veteran wicketkeeper assured him that he wouldn't interfere in his decisions.

Recalling his chat with Dhoni, Gaikwad said on JioHotstar show Power Play (quoted by Sports Tak):

"Just a week before the tournament last year, MS Dhoni came up to me and said, ‘I’m not leading this year you are.’ I was taken aback, asking, ‘From the first game? Are you sure?’ With just a few days to prepare, it was overwhelming."

"But he assured me, ‘This is your team. You make your own decisions. I won’t interfere except when field placements are a 50-50 call. Even then, it’s not a compulsion to follow my advice.' That trust meant a lot to me."

Ruturaj Gaikwad and Co. will take on Mumbai Indians (M) in their opening match of IPL 2025. The game will be played at MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on March 23.