Chennai Super Kings (CSK) head coach Stephen Fleming has revealed that MS Dhoni has not had many opportunities to train for the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) since he retired from international cricket. But he applauded him for maintaining his fitness in a professional manner till now. However, Dhoni is leading CSK amid all the speculations that this year could be his last edition in the T20 competition as well.
Meanwhile, on Wednesday, April 12, he smashed 32* off 17 balls against the Rajasthan Royals (RR) at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai but failed to win the match as well. At a post-match press conference, Fleming said that the CSK skipper is nursing a knee injury.
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“He is strong. He is nursing a knee injury which you can see in some of his movement, which is hindering him somewhat. Still what you saw today [Wednesday]… a great player for us. His fitness has always been professional. He comes in months before the tournament starts, so he doesn’t get the opportunity to do a lot. To say fit, he does some netting in Ranchi, but his main pre-season is a month before he comes to Chennai. He works his way back into match form, and you can still see he is playing pretty well. We never have any doubts about the way he manages himself. He always gets himself up to speed,” he stated.
With CSK needing 21 off the last over against Rajasthan Royals, MS Dhoni smashed pacer Sandeep Sharma for two consecutive sixes. However, the bowler kept his calm and helped Rajasthan register a win by three runs.
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“You see the field, you see the bowler and you plan as to what the bowler’s strength is. After that just stand still and wait for them to commit mistakes. I don’t fancy too many things and do a lot of things. If they bowl the right areas, then well done to them. At the end of the day the bowler is under pressure. Even if he misses by a few inches you can hit it for a sixes. You need to back your strength,” Stephen Fleming again added.
