MS Dhoni is the key to find the replacement of Rahul Dravid as Indian Head Coach
3 min read
The opinion of MS Dhoni may play a significant role in choosing Team India’s next head coach. Now that Dhoni has completed his IPL career the Chennai Super Kings were eliminated from the competition following a league loss to Royal Challengers Bengaluru the BCCI is thinking of asking the legendary player to act as a mediator between the board and CSK head coach Stephen Fleming.
According to information obtained by Hindustan Times, Fleming was the board’s first option to succeed Rahul Dravid as India’s head coach following the T20 World Cup. Fleming was a successful cricket player during his playing career, having captained New Zealand in 303 matches. He is also the longest-serving coach in the IPL. The former Kiwi opener, nevertheless, has stated that he is reluctant to commit through 2027.
The former captain of New Zealand, who has led CSK since 2009, is content with his brief assignments leading various clubs that the company owns in different T20 tournaments around the world. Fleming oversees the Texas Super Kings in Major League Cricket (USA) and the Johannesburg Super Kings in SA20 (South Africa) in addition to his role as head coach of the Chennai Super Kings in the IPL. In The Hundred, he leads the Southern Brave as their head coach.
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Fleming manages to spend a significant amount of time with his family while playing for four separate teams in four different leagues, primarily because the tournaments are short. With the exception of the two months of the IPL, he would have to travel for nearly the whole year if he accepts BCCI’s offer.
Fleming’s Hesitation and BCCI’s Search for Alternative
Sources claim that Fleming was quite explicit about this when they first spoke with the BCCI in the early IPL phases. After that, the BCCI began searching for alternatives, contacting Mahela Jayawardene, Gautam Gambhir, and Justin Langer.
The board is not prepared to give up on Fleming just yet, even though their conversation is still ongoing. Dhoni is probably going to be their final option.
During the beginning of the IPL, Dhoni and Fleming had been close. During his one and only season as a player in the 2008 IPL, Dhoni led Fleming’s team at CSK. Since then, the two have become close and are seen as close off the pitch. In the IPL, Dhoni and Fleming have never been parted. When CSK was suspended for two years, the legend of India and the famous New Zealander were on the Rising Pune Supergiant team.
Transition Phase: Fleming as the New Head Coach
It seemed almost inevitable that the Indian team would undergo a change following this year’s T20 World Cup in the Americas. It’s thought to be Virat Kohli and captain Rohit Sharma’s final chance to win a World Cup. Three years remain till the 50-overs World Cup. By then, Kohli would be approaching 39 and Rohit will be 40. It’s unlikely that we’ll see them participate in the major competition in Namibia, Zimbabwe, and South Africa. In the upcoming years, the two legends probably only focus on Test cricket.
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Fleming is the ideal candidate to lead the transition time as desired by BCCI, as the head coach. Fleming is renowned for his superb man-management abilities in addition to his skill as a great tactician. It is unnecessary to go into detail about how well he got along with Dhoni and managed the foreign stars while yet feeling at ease with the young cricket players.
