Chennai Super Kings (CSK) head coach Stephen Fleming opened up on MS Dhoni’s fitness and said the team management is very cautious about the former skipper’s fitness and knows what he can give to the team. The Chennai-based franchise will take on the Gujarat Titans (GT) in their upcoming match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Friday.

While speaking at the pre-match press conference, Fleming asked people not to underestimate Dhoni’s influence on the team. He added that the team management will maximise what the 42-year-old can give to the franchise.

“Like just hitting sixes and fours, which he has done pretty well. And keep as well as some of the best in the competition if not the best in the competition. So don’t underestimate his influence on the team just because he comes in at No. 9. There’s a timing aspect, but we’re very wary of what he can give us. And we’ll max that out,” Fleming was quoted by ESPNcricinfo as saying.

He also pointed out that CSK don’t want to put much pressure on Dhoni where they will lose him from injury. The head coach said that the wicketkeeper-batter is “okay”.

“But we don’t want to max that out where we lose him. So it’s a delicate balance, but trust me, his best interest is with us, and his interest [is] in performing well for us is still very high. To put the nation at ease – he’s okay,” he added.

Currently, CSK are holding fourth place in IPL 2024 standings with 12 points after winning 6 of 11 matches. They have a net run rate of 0.700.

Chennai Super Kings Squad:Ajinkya Rahane, Ruturaj Gaikwad (C), Daryl Mitchell, Shivam Dube, Moeen Ali, Ravindra Jadeja, MS Dhoni (Wk), Mitchell Santner, Shardul Thakur, Richard Gleeson, Tushar Deshpande, Sameer Rizvi, Simarjeet Singh, Shaik Rasheed, Mukesh Choudhary, Prashant Solanki, Rachin Ravindra, Ajay Jadav Mandal, RS Hangargekar, Maheesh Theekshana, Nishant Sindhu, Aravelly Avanish.

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