Reports: CSK coach Stephen Fleming convinces MS Dhoni to bat up the order against DC

MS Dhoni sending the likes of Sam Curran, Ruturaj Gaikwad and Kedar Jadhav above him in a steep chase of 217 runs against Rajasthan Royals (RR) drew a lot of flak from the experts. He cited lack of batting time in the middle as one of the reasons for not coming to bat at four or five for the same. Kevin Pietersen and Gautam Gambhir especially were harsh on the former India cricketer and felt that he should lead from the front.

The Chennai Super Kings (CSK) are set to face the Delhi Capitals (DC) on Friday and if the sources are to be believed, MS Dhoni is likely to bat up the order now. He came in to bat at seven when the team needed around 100 runs in the last six overs and lost the game by 16 runs. Many reckoned that if Dhoni had batted at his usual position, the result could’ve been different.

According to the reports in Insidesport, criticism notwithstanding, CSK coach Stephen Fleming has had a long chat with MS Dhoni about the issues and has convinced him to bat up the order in the upcoming game. It is also being understood that Fleming told the captain that the only way he can spend time in the middle by batting up the order at four or five.

What had CSK coach said about MS Dhoni after previous match?

However, Fleming had defended MS Dhoni after the last game in the post-match press conference. He had said that it takes a bit of time for a player to get used to everything after being away from the game for more than a year. “MS is one of the players that hasn’t played much cricket in the last year-and-a-half. Everyone expects MS to come out and do what he has done in the past. It doesn’t just happen, it takes a bit of work.

“… a part of his process of getting up to speed is his game time and that (match against RR) was really the first time that he’d batted in the middle apart from a couple of balls against Mumbai Indians,” he had said. Moreover, the sources close to the developments have also indicated that the CSK will make a couple of changes to their line-up on Friday.

While Josh Hazlewood and Imran Tahir are set to come into the XI, Lungi Ngidi and Sam Curran will be left out of the team. It will be surprising if Curran is dropped as he has done a fair job as an all-rounder so far.