Chennai Super Kings coach Stephen Fleming recently shared some insights about MS Dhoni’s current playing condition. He mentioned that Dhoni’s knees aren’t doing so well compared to a few years ago, which limits his ability to bat higher in the order. Even though Dhoni can still strike the ball beautifully, his body just can’t handle as much as before.
In a recent match against the Royal Challengers Bangalore, the game was already slipping away from CSK when Dhoni finally came to the crease. Despite hitting a few big shots, CSK ultimately fell short, losing comfortably to RCB.
After Chennai’s second loss in a row in this season’s Indian Premier League, Fleming spoke to the media and highlighted Dhoni’s ongoing knee issues, particularly after he had surgery earlier this year. “It’s really about timing. MS knows his body well. His knees are just not what they used to be. He’s moving okay, but there’s still wear and tear. He can’t bat for ten overs at full throttle,” Fleming explained during the post-match press conference.
Fleming elaborated that Dhoni assesses his capabilities on match day. If he feels the game is on a knife-edge, he might come in earlier and trust his teammates to step up when needed.
Shane Watson, the former Australian all-rounder, expressed some confusion over Chennai’s strategies against Bangalore, particularly why Dhoni continues to bat so low down the lineup. Fleming’s comments shed light on that, putting some of the puzzle pieces together.
In the match, CSK struggled, losing by 50 runs while chasing a hefty target of 197 runs. Watson suggested that captain Ruturaj Gaikwad should have opened the innings instead of waiting, which might have changed the outcome.
Dhoni batted at number nine, coming in after Ravichandran Ashwin, and whacked an impressive 30 runs off just 16 balls. Sadly, his efforts came too late to make a real difference. Earlier on Sunday, he batted at number seven after Gaikwad got out and managed to add 35 runs in a partnership with Ravindra Jadeja, but that wasn’t enough to turn the tide for his team.
