"Dhoni Doesn't Have Magic Wand..." Fleming's Fiery Reply On CSK's Poor Form

Ahead of his side's away game against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), Chennai Super Kings (CSK) head coach Stephen Fleming said that after five successive losses, the five-time champions will be working with stand-in skipper MS Dhoni to turn things around, but the legend is not a "soothsayer" and does not have a "magic wand". The fourth-placed LSG (with four wins and two losses in six games) will be aiming to continue their fine home run against a bottom-placed CSK, who have secured just one win in six matches so far.

After their win in the campaign opener against Mumbai Indians (MI), they went on to suffer five successive losses, with three of them coming at the home venue of Chepauk Stadium. In their previous match against defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at home, they could make just 103/9 and the target was hunted down in just 10.1 overs, marking their worst batting show at Chepauk.

Fans have had the joy of catching Dhoni bat for longer periods, but their top-order consisting of Rachin Ravindra (149 runs in six matches with a fifty), Devon Conway (94 in three matches with a fifty) and Rahul Tripathi (46 runs in four matches), middle-order batters Vijay Shankar (109 in four matches with a fifty), Shivam Dube (137 runs in six innings) and Deepak Hooda (seven runs in three matches) have not clicked the way fans would have liked them too.

Even skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad (122 runs in five matches with two fifties) was enduring a lean run after a fine start before being hit by an elbow injury that would rule him out of the season. In six matches so far, Dhoni has been the fourth-highest run-getter for the team with 104 runs in six innings at a strike rate of 146.47. Often, after underperformance of the top and middle order, the team has needed Dhoni to pull off a miracle, which he has not done so far this season, largely due to his late entry point.

Speaking ahead of the match in the pre-match presser, Fleming said as quoted by ESPNCricinfo that Dhoni's influence will always be prominent, but, "He is not a soothsayer, he has not got a magic wand. He cannot just rub it over the side; otherwise, he would have brought it out earlier."

"It is a case of us working very hard along with MS to turn it around and certainly in both of our cricketing careers, we have been in situations that require a lot of energy and we have got to make sure that the energy is put in the right place," he added.

Fleming also said that the team is aiming to get better in all three facets of the game and take small steps to do so and added that the "lack of competition" in the last match would hurt the team a lot.

"So there is certainly been a lot of internal soul searching but also a lot of work around what we need to do, and it is important that we put a performance out that is representative of the proud franchise that we are."

"There's a lot of hurt that we can turn to motivation but it is not about words, it is about players grabbing the moment, finding form, finding their groove and almost shaking off any apprehension which can creep in," he added.

Having hit just 32 sixes this season, CSK has averaged around just five sixes per game and none of their batters have scored above 150 runs so far. None of them have a strike rate of above 150 either. Fleming feels that the strike rate and lack of sixes are not as big an issue, and the batting would be just fine using other methods.

"We do [talk about the sixes], but it is not everything," he said.

"I know there is a fascination with power and six hitting, but there is also a couple of teams doing well with good craft, and It would very sad if the day came to us just being in a baseball competition and talking about sixes and fours," he said.

"The beauty of the game is that there is still balance between bat and ball. Conditions play a big part, but there is still room for craft, and you are still seeing top-class players playing pivotal innings when it is not flat like a road, and I just hope the balance can remain," he added.

Ahead of the next game, Fleming said that Shivam Dube, who limped off the field during the first innings end against KKR, will be fit. He also talked about the challenge of facing the "best player in the world right now", Nicholas Pooran.

"Yes, he [Nicholas Pooran] is very threatening. He is the best player in the world at the moment by some distance, - consistent, powerful and a real threat. To get him out and keep him in check will be a big part of winning the game tomorrow," Fleming said.