'He pushed pretty hard, that cameo was valuable' - Stephen Fleming extols MS Dhoni's brilliance with bat in death overs

The MA Chidambaram Stadium, fondly known as Chepauk, witnessed Chennai Super Kings winning another game at their den when the home side crossed swords against the David Warner-led Delhi Capitals. In the 55^th game of the IPL 2023, an all-round performance by the CSK players helped their side retain the second spot on the points table and take their tally to 15 points from seven victories.

On a pitch that did not provide much assistance to the batters, Shivam Dube and MS Dhoni batted at a strike rate over 200, and their power-hitting proved to be essential towards the team’s total of 167/8. Dhoni and Dube, both have been recovering from injuries.

Dhoni has been dealing with a knee issue since the beginning of the season, and Dube hasn't fully healed from the finger injury he sustained while playing on Saturday against the Mumbai Indians. Nevertheless, they produced high-voltage knocks and performed their jobs excellently.

Dhoni’s short cameo in the first innings proved to be very beneficial for his side. The 41-year-old faced just nine deliveries notched up 20 runs and studded his knock with two magnificent sixes and a four. But his knee injury has been a cause of concern, and the veteran was also seen limping while running between the wickets in the game against DC.

Nevertheless, he has shown a vintage form of himself on the field, and Fleming revealed that MS Dhoni has been training in a certain way to tackle such situations.

“He's just training a certain way. He knows he's 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 wasn't as mobile between the wickets today, but he pushed pretty hard. 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,” Fleming said at the post-match press conference.

We've asked players to play more high-risk shots: Fleming

At this point of time in the IPL, Dube holds the key to the middle-order while Dhoni, for the lower-order. In the initial stages of the tournament, CSK had a power-packed 11, one where every batter could contribute with the bat and ever since then, CSK head coach Stephen Fleming has motivated the players to take risks while going out in the field. 

“I think it's a reflection of how the game is being played. We've asked players to play more high-risk (shots), and the way you compose an innings is a little bit different. So I'm happy with the cameos,” Fleming stated.