CSK head coach Fleming lavishes

LUCKNOW: His brilliant form notwithstanding, Mahendra Singh Dhoni cannot be promoted in the batting order as his recovery from a knee injury has restricted his ability to wield the willow for long periods, Chennai Super Kings coach Stephen Fleming has said.

Called CSK’s “heartbeat” by Fleming, Dhoni, 42, gave his team the much-needed impetus with a nine-ball 28 against Lucknow Super Giants here on Friday, one of the few entertaining cameos he has played this season.

The few balls that Dhoni is getting to face in this IPL season, Fleming said he is simply “owning that space”.

Hailing Dhoni, Fleming said, “It’s inspirational, isn’t it? His batting this year even in training has been very crisp. The team isn’t surprised with what he is doing because his skill level during the pre-season was very high.

“Other years he has obviously had problems with his knee and he is sort of recovering from that which is why there is only a certain amount of balls he can function well.”

Further opening up on Dhoni’s role, Fleming pointed out his ‘two-three over’ approach.

“I think everyone wants to see him for longer as we do but that amount of time is about right. We need him for the tournament and that 2-3 over cameo he is owning that space.

“It’s up to the rest of the batting unit to get us to a good position where he can push us over the top. He is doing that pretty much every time at the moment which is great to watch,” Fleming said at the post-match press conference.

The long-time CSK coach said former skipper Dhoni, who guided the team to five IPL titles, remains the franchise’s heartbeat and that they are enjoying every minute of his presence as the fans shower him with love and adulation across venues.

“What an amazing atmosphere when he comes out and does play and entertain, it’s exhilarating,” Fleming observed.

“We are incredibly proud of what he has achieved. We marvel at the amount of love that he gets. It’s no surprise with what he has done with Indian cricket and with CSK with us. We are incredibly proud that he is a part of our side and is pretty much the heartbeat of the side. We thoroughly enjoy it.

“We know we are beneficiaries of the career that he has had and is having. We enjoy every minute of it.”