MS Dhoni knows he’s not going to bat for longer time periods: CSK coach Fleming

Chennai Super Kings head coach Stephen Fleming said skipper MS Dhoni has been training in a certain way, with a strong focus on power-hitting, as he knows he cannot bat for a long period of time, following  their win over DC in the IPL on Wednesday.

During the match, Dhoni was seen struggling and hobbling while running between the wickets. But the former India captain was powerful when at the crease. He scored 20 runs from 9 balls with a four and two sixes.

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“He has (Dhoni) just training a certain way. He knows he is not going to bat for a long time, and we had a lot of batting ahead. So, he has really concentrated on the last three overs. [He] was not as mobile between the wickets today, but he pushed pretty hard,” said Fleming in the post-match press conference.

“So, he has concentrated on pretty strong hitting practice, and you can see the benefits of that. He is just comfortable being able to play around the ground. We know how good a hitter of the ball he is, and his access in certain areas is still very strong. So that cameo again at the end was valuable in a hard-fought 20 overs,” added Fleming.

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The former India skipper, who many believe is playing his last IPL season, has batted down the order. He has scored 96 runs in eight innings at an average of 48.00. He has been dismissed only twice this IPL. Dhoni’s highest score this season has been just 32*. He has smashed three fours and 10 sixes this year with a strike rate of 204.25.

“It is a reflection of the way games now are played, the players play with more high risks and the way you compose an innings is a little bit different, so I’m happy with the cameos if it keeps pushing you above par,” said Fleming.

“What you have seen today, maybe a 160 wicket was turned into almost a possible 175-10 because we had positive intent through partnerships and guys playing aggressively. Dube is a good example of that, Rayudu and then MS in the end. We created enough to get ahead of the game, which we are happy with, even though we lost seven wickets,” added the coach.

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MS Dhoni and Ravindra Jadeja’s blistering knocks followed by Matheesha Pathirana’s three-wicket haul helped CSK clinch a 27-run victory over DC.

For CSK, Dhoni and Jadeja’s 19th over onslaught took them to 167/8. Pathirana bagged three while Deepak Chahar scalped two and Ravindra Jadeja took one wicket. For Delhi, Rilee Rossouw scored the highest with 35 off 37 while Manish Pandey played a knock of 27 runs in 29 balls.

With this win, CSK moved to second spot in the IPL points table with seven victories, four defeats, and a total of 15 points. With four victories and seven defeats, DC remain at the bottom of the table. They only have eight points to their name.

(With inputs from ANI)

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