SHARJAH: It will take some time to see MS Dhoni, the finisher, that everyone is waiting for, says Chennai Super Kings (CSK) head coach Stephen Fleming as his side fell short in its run-chase against Rajasthan Royals in their IPL-13 match on Tuesday despite having the former India captain at the crease.
Dhoni came out to bat at number seven in Tuesday’s match and took time to settle down before unleashing his powerful shots. By the time he found his range, he did not have much balls at his disposal to knock off the required runs.
They eventually lost the match by 16 runs with Dhoni staying unbeaten on 29 off 17 balls.
Dhoni argued that the extended two-week quarantine of his side hampered his preparations as he did not get enough time for practice.
“We have this question every year. He was in, in the 14th over, which is pretty much optimal time, and sort of batted accordingly.
He is coming back from not playing a huge amount of cricket,” Fleming said at the post-match press conference.
“So the expectations to see him at his best is gonna take some time. But you see him towards the end, he was very good. Faf du Plessis carried the form, so we weren’t too far away. It wasn’t the batting that was the worry to be honest.”
Dhoni sent the likes of Sam Curran and Kedar Jadhav ahead of him.
—PTI

Press Trust of India