The Chennai Super Kings (CSK) head coach Stephen Fleming said that their captain MS Dhoni has a lot to offer more than just his captaincy as he will play a ‘more prominent’ role as a batsman for CSK in the upcoming IPL 2018.
Stephen Fleming
Talking about Dhoni’s probably batting position, Fleming said, “MS will be relatively high. The time that we choose may depend on the match situation as well. He would definitely play a more prominent role as a batter. Ahead of him, there are some good picks, Kedar Jadhav, Ambati Rayudu. Jadeja, Bravo, Harbhajan fits in there as well, Karn Sharma, they can all hit. One of the key things of the squad is the versatility… combinations are important… both Indian and overseas.”
When asked about the opening combination, Fleming said that they are trying to figure out the opening slots as there were quite a number of players who could do the job. They have got a plethora of options that have been narrowed down like Dhruv Shorey, Faf du Plessis, Shane Watson, Rayudu, Sam Billings, Murali Vijay.
Dhoni build the CSK team
The CSK head coach also expressed that they are expecting Mark Wood and Lungi Ngidi to fill the roles played by Ashish Nehra and Albie Morkel in the past. He said, “(Mark) Wood and Ngidi have got good pace. We have Indian quality in Thakur. Our strong component is spinners. Wood has a got a nice skiddy trajectory and pace. Excited to have Bhajji here. I have always rated him high. He will play a big part in the season. It will be different than bowling at the Wankhede (stadium). The bounce and top-spin he gets is more suited to the ground here.”
Talking about the replacement for New Zealander Mitchell Santer, who is out due to injury, Fleming said, “We looked at versatile players and Santner was one of the form players. We haven’t rushed for the replacement. We need to be a bit smarter about whether we need a replacement. If things go well in the tournament, we might not name a replacement.”
Fleming concluded by clearly stating that CSK will not be considering the option of yo-yo test for its players as their side is focussed on much other stuff. He said that the management was only asking the players for better professionalism.
