Almost a month after Chennai Super Kings’ ex-skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni passed on the baton to Ruturaj Gaikwad, the franchise’s head coach Stephan Fleming came in support of Dhoni’s decision.
Making the confusion clear on Gaikwad being chosen as skipper for five-time Indian Premier League trophy winning team, Fleming said that Gaikwad is cut from same cloth as MS Dhoni and it is unfair to term his batting slow.
“Ruturaj Gaikwad cut from same cloth as MS Dhoni, unfair to term his batting slow,” PTI quoted Fleming as saying.
The CSK head coach, since 2009, on Gaikwad’s longevity as captain said that the opening batter (Gaikwad) is judged by wins, but they judge him differently.
“He is judged by wins but we judge him differently. I hope so, that’s the plan,” Fleming added.
ALSO READ: IPL 2024: Big shock for CSK fans as MS Dhoni steps down from captaincy, Ruturaj Gaikwad is new skipper
Lauding the cool nature of Gaikwad and comparing it with Dhoni, Fleming said, “He is as cool as it gets. The last captain was cool and so he is. You have to have context to put these numbers when you call him slow.”
Discussing on the recent performances of the CSK, specially out of Chennai, Fleming said that they faced teams that bowled really well in away conditions.
“We came up against some sides that bowled really well in away conditions. We have been able to watch some games, it looks high scoring and can be a tough ground to bowl,” Fleming said.
Gaikwad as CSK captain:
Earlier, on 21 March, on the eve of the IPL 2024, Ruturaj Gaikwad was named the new skipper of CSK after Mahendra Singh Dhoni stepped down from the captaincy.
“MS Dhoni has handed over Chennai Super Kings’ captaincy to Ruturaj Gaikwad ahead of the start of TATA IPL 2024. Ruturaj has been an integral part of Chennai Super Kings since 2019 and has played 52 matches in IPL during this period,” CSK said in a statement on its website.
“The team looks forward to the upcoming season,” the statement added.
On Dhoni:
With Dhoni playing his last IPL tournament, Fleming noted that the love the legendary skipper is overwhelming and they are honoured to have him in the squad.
“We are benefactors of the love that Dhoni has got. It is overwhelming. We are proud of him and really honoured that people will come out and watch for him,” the CSK head coach said.
ALSO READ: ‘Thala will forever be our Captain’: CSK fans react as Ruturaj Gaikwad replaces MS Dhoni as skipper ahead of IPL 2024
On Sunday’s match vs MI:
Facing 5-time IPL winning franchise and that too at its home ground in Mumbai’s Wankhede, Fleming opined that the rivalry between CSK and MI has turned into competitive cricket, not driven by design but by results.
“Over the years it has developed into very good rivalry between two very good teams playing competitive cricket not by design but by results,” said CSK coach ahead of IPL game against Mumbai Indians.
MI vs CSK:
With both the team going to face each other on Sunday, the excitement to watch this match is also high among the ‘yellow’ vs ‘blue’ fans.
Looking at some records, Mumbai and Chennai have played 36 IPL matches so far, where MI have won 20 matches while CSK have won 16. Chennai have won 4 out of the last 5 matches played against Mumbai. The last time Mumbai won against CSK was in 2022.
CSK in IPL 2024:
CSK have lost 2 of their 5 matches and are sitting at number 3 in the IPL points table, while MI have won 2 out of 5 matches and are at number 7 at the moment.
With agency inputs.
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Published: 13 Apr 2024, 08:41 PM IST