Fleming feels Dhoni will take some time to find form
What's the story
Chennai Super Kings coach Stephen Fleming has backed skipper MS Dhoni to come good in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 season.
CSK suffered a defeat against Rajasthan Royals in match number four.
MSD, who came in at number seven, struggled to get going. However, he finished on an unbeaten 29 off 17 deliveries.
Here's what Fleming said about the veteran player.
MSD
How MSD went about his game against RR?
Notably, when MSD came into the crease, the required run rate at arrival was 16.26.
CSK needed 103 off 38 balls to win the match.
Dhoni scored nine off 12 balls till the 19th over and he didn't go for any big shot.
However, CSK needed 38 needed off last over and the match was dusted.
MSD hit three sixes in a row.
Comments
Fleming says Dhoni hasn't played much cricket of late
When being asked about Dhoni's application, Fleming was quick to point out that the former hasn't played much cricket of late.
"We have this question every year. He was in the 14th over, which is pretty much optimal time, and sort of batted accordingly. He is coming back from not playing a huge amount of cricket," Fleming said at the post-match press conference.
Time
Fleming feels Dhoni will take some time
Fleming added to see Dhoni at his best will take some time.
"So, the expectations to see him at his best is gonna take some time. But you see him towards the end, he was very good. Faf du Plessis carried the form, so we weren't too far away. It wasn't the batting that was the worry to be honest," said Fleming.
Dhoni
I haven't batted for a long time, says Dhoni
Dhoni came to bat in at number seven and sent the likes of Sam Curran and Ruturaj Gaikwad ahead of him in a big chase.
When asked about why he decided to do that, MSD said that the extended 14-day quarantine of the CSK unit hampered his preparations.
"I haven't batted for a long time. 14-day quarantine doesn't help," he opined.
Cricket
Dhoni last played competitive cricket in July 2019
Dhoni last played competitive cricket in July 2019, in India's ICC World Cup semi-final ouster against New Zealand.
The former Indian captain retired from international cricket since, and has now taken charge of his IPL franchise after 14 months of inactivity.
CSK held a training camp before their departure to UAE.
They arrived in UAE early but COVID-19 cases in the unit hampered them.