Cricket News: Stephen Fleming opens up on MS Dhoni's fitness

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) nearly defeated Rajasthan Royals (RR) in the 17th match of the IPL 2023 on Wednesday at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chepauk, Chennai.

CSK captain MS Dhoni batted until the final over, with 5 runs needed from the final delivery to win the match. He couldn't get the ball to the boundary, allowing Sanju Samson and company to win by three runs.

CSK coach Stephen Fleming confirmed after the game that Dhoni suffered a knee issue. The former Black Caps international further also claimed that Dhoni's fitness has always been professional.

The former India captain looked in great form, hitting some of his famous sixes, particularly against spinners. Notably, he scored 32 runs off 17 balls, forming an important partnership with Ravindra Jadeja, who scored 25 runs off 15 balls.

"He is strong. He is nursing a knee injury which you can see in some of his movement, which is hindering him somewhat. Still what you saw today (Wednesday)... a great player for us. His fitness has always been professional. He comes in months before the tournament starts, so he doesn't get the opportunity to do a lot. To say fit, he does some netting in Ranchi, but his main pre-season is a month before he comes to Chennai,"

Fleming said in a post-match press conference.

MS Dhoni will still play well, according to the former New Zealand captain, as he works his way back into form. He went on to say that the franchise has no concerns about Dhoni's discipline because he always gets himself up to speed.

Fleming further added by saying,

"He works his way back into match form, and you can still see he is playing pretty well. We never have any doubts about the way he manages himself. He always gets himself up to speed,"

In terms of the game, CSK won the toss and chose to field first. The hosts received 175 runs target, with Akash Singh, Tushar Deshpande, and Ravindra Jadeja each taking two wickets and Moeen Ali taking one.

CSK lost early wickets in the chase, but Devon Conway batted for his half century. Dhoni hit two sixes against Sandeep Sharma with CSK needing 21 runs off the last six balls of the penultimate over. However, the bowler recovered and led his team to a three-run victory over the four-time champions.

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