Chennai Super Kings (CSK) organized a press conference just three days before their first match in the VIVO IPL 2019. Coach Stephen Fleming attended the interaction and discussed CSK's team balance for the upcoming season.
Fleming stated that skipper MS Dhoni will bat higher than he does for the national team. For India, he bats at no. 5, but for CSK, he will be batting a position higher. Their batting has strengthened by the return of all-rounder Kedar Jadhav.
Stephen said," Dhoni batted pretty much (at) No. 4 last year but we do use him in a little bit of a flexible role, so that won’t change. His form has been outstanding in the past 10 months. We have a new player as well (Kedar Jadhav) which is great. So, we’re really happy with the (batting) order and the thoughts around that."
Unlike other teams, CSK has most of their players in their late 30s. However, that does not affect their chances of winning the tournament feels Fleming. He stated that the ability to win matches depends on the team environment and the mindset. They had just that in the last season. He feels that they will be able to repeat their performance in the upcoming season of the biggest T20 tournament in the world.
He was asked about the chances of CSK in comparison with other teams. said," We tend not to do it (compare). Because if you start looking at other teams, you’re trapped away from what’s good or bad of your own. There are enough great players with each side, so it comes down to mindset, team environment, and culture and winning big moments. Last year, we just won big moments. We’re just big on team culture and empowering the players to make decisions and win big moments. And last year was a snapshot of that."
He did not leave behind any of the players from the core to praise and he valued each and every player's contribution to the team. He was quoted saying," Even though the ‘young’ man (34-year-old Kedar Jadhav) was only with us for one game, he played a huge part in winning that game with Bravo. And Faf du Plessis and Watson at the end. And the usual suspects like Dhoni and Raina. Mitch (Mitchell Santner) has a got a great record in the subcontinent, which is why it is good to have him. We obviously missed him last year – so again it’s like a new signing."
He also mentioned the role of the bowlers. "Chennai still has a role for the pace bowlers. We are conscious of a good balance. Imran Tahir is in good form, Karn Sharma and Harbhajan with his experience – we’ve got most of the bases covered and it’s just about getting the guys to perform and sitting on our gameplan, especially at home but when we play away as well," remarked Fleming.
(Source: Hindustan Times)
