England Test captain Ben Stokes shared insights into his stint with the Chennai Super Kings, shedding light on the dynamics between franchise captain MS Dhoni and coach Stephen Fleming. Stokes only played for CSK in two games in IPL 2023 despite being acquired for INR 16.25 Cr.
The 32-year-old opened up about his experience with the team and discussed the camaraderie he observed between MS Dhoni and Stephen Fleming.
"You say we ended up winning, that's how I got the TFC Award, the 'Thanks For Coming' award. Obviously, it didn't quite go how I wanted it to with the injury and stuff like that. But just being part of an unbelievable franchise like Chennai. I've worked with Fleming and MS before when I was playing in Pune. I think how MS and Fleming complemented each other was something to behold. The trust that they have in the decisions they make, one as a coach and one as a captain. MS has the emotion of being out in the game, whereas sometimes when you're sitting on the sideline, you don't have that emotion," Stokes said on Jio Cinema.
Stokes further added that he and England Test coach Brendon McCullum try to follow the camaraderie between CSK captain MS Dhoni and coach Stephen Fleming.
"I think they both have an incredible understanding of that. But one thing me and Baz always try to do, and what MS and Flem do is whatever decision they make around selection or whatever decision they have to make very quickly, it's always based around what's best for the team. That's something me and Baz always try and live by when we make decisions," he added.
Stokes recently led England to a 28-run win in the first Test in Hyderabad against India. Ollie Pope's 196 and Tom Hartley's spell of 7-62 inspired the visitors to a famous victory. Both teams will face off against each other in the second Test on February 2 at the ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium, Visakhapatnam.
(ANI inputs)
