Mahendra Singh Dhoni may have joked about playing his 200th game in Chennai Super Kings’ yellow as a sign of him “getting old”, but head coach Stephen Fleming said the achievement is a testament to his commitment to the franchise.
“He has been absolutely the heartbeat of CSK, there’s no doubt about it. Whether it’s performances, guidance or leadership… you run out of things to say about him,” Fleming said on Friday after CSK celebrated Dhoni’s milestone with its maiden win in IPL 2021.
“His longevity also has to be mentioned and appreciated... to play 200 games and still have a desire to do well and perform well is a testament to his attitude towards the game and the franchise. I think the franchise has grown and MS has grown with it, so it’s a very good relationship and great fun.”
For Punjab Kings, M. Shahrukh Khan gave a glimpse of his talent with a composed knock of 47. The Tamil Nadu youngster hopes to cash in on the wealth of knowledge shared by some of the stalwarts of the game.
“Obviously I am new to the IPL. It’s different compared to domestic cricket. Getting to learn a lot of things, trying to improve my game 1% every session I go in,” Shahrukh said.
“I am having conversations with Wasim Jaffer (batting coach) and Andy Flower (assistant coach), and they have been helping me with my batting.”
