M.S. Dhoni recovering, still doubtful for Wednesday’s game

All-rounder Ravindra Jadeja did not play against Mumbai Indians due to illness but he was back at the nets ahead of the clash against Delhi Capitals.

Chennai Super Kings skipper M.S. Dhoni is still recovering from illness that took him out of the high-profile clash against Mumbai Indians.

 

Chennai Super Kings head coach Stephen Fleming remained non-commital over skipper M.S. Dhoni's availability for the match against Delhi Capitals here on Wednesday.

"Dhoni has been pretty sick through the week. He is progressing... We will make a call on him tomorrow," Fleming said.

Chennai has lost both the matches this season in which Dhoni hasn't played, with the batting, in particular, looking uncertain. Reiterating Dhoni's importance to the squad, Fleming remarked, "You can't pretend that you can replace Dhoni. If you miss a player for two-three games in a row, then the team prepares differently but if it's a game here and there, then it's disruptive. We haven't overanalysed the situation; we just know that if he doesn't play then others have to step up.

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"That said, we have other big players who haven't fired yet, so that's an exciting prospect for us in that if we can get them to do well in these last couple of matches, then nothing like it."

In the match against the Mumbai Indians, Ravindra Jadeja did not play due to illness but on Monday, he was back to training. Fleming informed that the all-rounder was available for selection against Delhi. "Jadeja has been training well and is certainly in consideration for tomorrow's game. Faf (du Plessis) has been wearing a singlet and whenever he does that, he's fine (laughs)... He's in good shape," he said.

"We have had a couple of changes forced upon us but the defeat against Mumbai wasn't down to selection but to the fact that we were outplayed.

"We are more comfortable going into this match. Just getting jolted out of your rhythm can be a good thing sometimes and we look forward to challenging an in-form Delhi side in our home conditions."

Reflecting on yet another fruitful run which has seen Chennai make it to the playoffs for a record 10th time, Fleming noted , "If I had said, at the start of the season, that we will qualify with three games to spare then I would've been scoffed at pretty hard. Our mantra has been to remain as consistent as possible and I don't see that changing.

"All teams look very strong on paper, performances improve every year. It's just the form of the players that makes a team look excellent or not as good as they could be. We are very happy with the start we have got given the conditions we have."