We have the desire to win IPL on debut: Stephen Fleming

Stephen Fleming. the Rising Pune SuperGiants coach, minced no words in backing MS Dhoni as his choice to lead the Pune IPL team. While addressing a press conference at JW Mariott hotel in Pune on Friday (April 1), Fleming was asked how he was going to handle three skippers of their respective squads – Faf du Plessis of South Africa, Steve Smith of Australia and Dhoni – in the Pune team. His reply conveyed clarity of thought.

“First and foremost, it is an Indian cricket side and my preference is to have an Indian captain. We are fortunate that we have the most popular and successful Indian captain with us and there is no question about who will lead the side,” Fleming, who turned 43 on Friday, said. “I understand that too many chefs can make things messy, but believe me when you have someone like MS Dhoni, here is no question who is in control.”

Fleming hinted that Dhoni may not retire from the game before 2019. “I saw him running between the wickets (in the World T20 semis). He is physically fit and fresh as a captain. Having retired from Test cricket has given him a new lease of life. He has a young family and now he gets more time to spend with them. This will help him focus more on his cricket. Also, I won’t be surprised if I see you asking the same question in 2019,” he said in jest.

Like CSK, Fleming is optimistic about his new team’s chances in their debut season.”We are realistic about how hard it is to win the IPL, but we are certainly not here to make up the numbers. We have got the desire to win the IPL in our first year and make a statement,” he said.

India had played a T20 against Sri Lanka at the MCA stadium in Gahunje last month. It is believed that Dhoni didn’t have much of a say in preparation of the wicket. But Fleming doesn’t want to lose the home advantage in IPL.

“This bit is important for us to understand what wickets can do. I am a big believer that you don’t too fancy and try to get too smart, but we certainly want (to know) what conditions we can take advantage of. And the fact that our captain will probably be joining us soon, it is going to be beneficial given his previous experience here and what he would like to see,” added Fleming.

One of Pune’s key players will be England discard Kevin Pietersen. Fleming has worked with the South Africa-born English player in Australia’s Big Bash side Melbourne Stars. The New Zealander believes despite his international career coming to an abrupt end, Pietersen still has the ability to win matches on his own.

“I think KP now realizes that he is not going to be a part of the England set-up. He has got a great presence and he knows T20 and franchisee cricket very well. His experience and ability won us games and after working with him (at Melbourne Stars), I was very sure of what he can give it to the side,” he said.