MS Dhoni, 41, has led Chennai Super Kings to four Indian Premier League titles. However, the former India captain, who hung his boots from international cricket in 2020, is on the brink of retirement from all forms of cricket, and the search for new CSK captain is certainly one of the hot topics.

While the franchise did pass the baton to Ravindra Jadeja last season, but the decision backfired and the all-rounder eventually left the position for his predecessor.

Well we’ll have to wait before any official announcement is made on the subject, but CSK opener Ruturaj Gaikwad has received a lot of backing for the role.

Also Read | ‘On 1999 tour of India, Imran Khan was the one who convinced me to…’: Akram’s never-heard-before story about Afridi

Gaikwad is currently engaged in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, India’s premier 50-over domestic tournament, where he has led Maharashtra to finals. Gaikwad played a gigantic knock of 220 off 159 balls against Uttar Pradesh in the quarterfinals. During the course of his innings, Gaikwad scripted history as he went to hit seven sixes in an over.

He then followed it up with another impressive effort as he slammed 168 off 126 balls in the semifinals against Assam.

Former Australian cricketer Michael Hussey, who is also the batting coach of CSK, is keeping a close eye on Gaikwad and drew similarities between him and Dhoni. While he didn’t comment on the future, Hussey did mention Gaikwad resembles similar leadership qualities as Dhoni.

Also Read | ‘India should accept that Rishabh Pant is not a white-ball cricketer’: Ex-Pakistan star tears into Indian wicketkeeper

“I’m not sure what the plans for the future at CSK, but like Dhoni, he is very calm. He is actually very calm when it comes to handling the pressure like Dhoni and he is a very good reader of the game and as I said earlier, he is very observant and I think people are drawn to him because of his nature, character and personality and they like being around him. He has got some excellent leadership qualities,” Hussey told The Indian Express.

Meanwhile, after the win against Uttar Pradesh earlier, Gaikwad shared the Player of the Match trophy with his teammate Rajvardhan Hangargekar. The gesture was appreciated by fans and many projected the opener as the future CSK leader.