"He hasn't got a magic wand" - Stephen Fleming emphatically downplays MS Dhoni factor ahead of LSG vs CSK IPL 2025 match
Chennai Super Kings (CSK) coach Stephen Fleming played down the MS Dhoni factor comprehensively ahead of their IPL 2025 game against the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) on Monday. While the former New Zealand skipper acknowledged Dhoni's influence, he warned that the keeper-batter doesn't have any magic wand.
Dhoni returned to the captaincy in the previous game against the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), with Ruturaj Gaikwad ruled out due to an elbow fracture. However, the match for the Super Kings went far from plan as they got restricted to 103 and the defending champions won in a canter.
At the pre-game presser, Fleming said he and the veteran cricketer both have found themselves in challenging situations in the sport over the years. He revealed that the conversation has been to put their energy into the right place. As quoted by Cricbuzz, he said:
"Dhoni's influence will always be prominent, but he's not a soothsayer, he hasn't got a magic wand, he can't just rub it over the side, otherwise he would have brought it out earlier. It's a case of us working very hard along with MS to turn it around. And certainly in both of our careers we've been in situations that require a lot of energy, and we've got to make sure that the energy is put in the right place."
"Often you can get consumed with things that actually don't matter. So drawing it all down and just making sure we're concentrating on the right things has probably been the key for the last couple of days."
Dhoni has also struggled with the bat in IPL 2025. He had chances to win games for the Yellow Army against the Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Rajasthan Royals, Punjab Kings, and Delhi Capitals but failed to click when required.
"I'd be very sad if the day came to us just being like a baseball competition and talking about sixes and fours" - Stephen Fleming
When asked if the Super Kings struggle with six-hitting, Fleming admitted the issue but felt the sport still has a place for a measured approach. He added:
"We do, but it's not everything. I know there's a fascination with power and six hitting, but there's also a couple of teams doing well with good [batting] craft, And I'd be very sad if the day came to us just being like a baseball competition and talking about sixes and fours. The beauty of the game is there's still balance between bat and ball, and in some cases there's not. So I'm loath to get into it too much. I love the skill and the ability to do that."
LSG are coming off a confident six-wicket win over the Gujarat Titans.