Stephen Fleming, head coach of Chennai Super Kings (CSK), has praised MS Dhoni’s wicketkeeping skills and described him as an “absolute craftsman with gloves in hand.” Fleming also stated that Dhoni doesn’t get enough credit for his wicketkeeping because of his multi-talented skills.
On Friday, April 21, Dhoni broke the record for the most catches taken by a keeper in T20 cricket after sending back Aiden Markram during the IPL 2023 match between CSK and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH). He now has 208 catches in T20 cricket, going past Quinton de Kock.
In a post-conference, Fleming was asked about his opinion on Dhoni’s keeping on which he stated:
“It’s just natural talent. Had a session with [Devon] Conway the other day, who also does some keeping. Just listening to him talk about keeping in the sub-continent and watching Conway make some adjustments and then seeing a masterclass today…
“I don’t think he gets enough credit for his keeping. To be honest, he is an absolute craftsman, absolute master behind the stumps. It often goes unnoticed with the other things he does. Today [Friday] was a good example. I think it was highlighted on the TV.”
“Today, his fifty was an absolute clinic to watch”: Fleming on Conway
After winning the toss, CSK chose to bowl first and did exceptionally well to restrict SRH to 134/7. Opener Conway continued his incredible form by striking his third consecutive half-century and guiding his team to a comprehensive win. Fleming commented on his incredible form:
“Conway’s batting was what we expect. He always thinks that he is out of form but he keeps churning out runs. Today, his fifty was an absolute clinic to watch. That over against Marco Jansen was just great batting. He’s really skillful and the other thing is that he’s in the right spot and that’s a good combination with Ruturaj [Gaikwad].”
Conway hit Jansen for four fours and a six in the last over of the powerplay. Conway and Gaikwad added 87 for the opening wicket in 11 overs to set the foundation for CSK’s win over Hyderabad.