CHENNAI: One of the finest skippers in cricket, former England captain Mike Brearley has always been of the opinion that a coach should be the friend of the captain and his players, and not his boss; a fact that he had also reiterated in an interview with Express.
He should enjoy the confidence of the players so that they come out Stephen Fleming may or may not have had a chat with Brearley about coaching, but the Kiwi seems to be following the Englishman’s words and has slotted in perfectly with the Chennai Super Kings. His friendly nature and positive attitude have played a part in the legacy that the Men in Yellow have built overs the years.
“He is cool, relaxed and down to earth. We were never scared to approach him for anything. He was always there to help us, be it a youngster or a senior,’’ said KB Arun Karthik, who has also been a part of Fleming’s contingent.
Narayan Jagadeesan — roped in by Super Kings for his debut season in the event — is thrilled to be a part of the Yellow Brigade, and is keen to hone his skills under Fleming. “First of all, it is a massive moment and a privilege to be in the same team and train along with MS Dhoni. I am really excited to be part of CSK and eager to hone my skills,’’ the Tamil Nadu stumper-batsman told.
Fleming joined the team a couple of days ago, and is preparing his team at the ongoing pre-season camp at the MA Chidambaram Stadium.
“I have had interactions with Fleming. He seems to be very down to earth, and his ideas and views are very positive. It is boon for a youngster like me to train and be coached by one of the celebrated captains of the game,’’ said Jagadeesan. “Since he has so much of experience, I would like to learn from him how one should approach the shortest format, apart from getting an idea about the mental preparation needed for a tough league.
I also want to gain more knowledge from him about staying effective in the other formats.”
Mike Hussey is another former stalwart who has made a smooth transformation to a coaching role for Super Kings (batting).
Huge crowd turns up for CSK practice
The CSK took an open top bus ride from Crown Plaza to MA Chidambaram Stadium on Wednesday evening with hundreds accompanying the team along the journey. If that stunned the players, the thousands who had gathered inside the stadium, created almost a match-like experience. “Big crowd gathering just for training!! So much excitement from the CSK fans,” coach Stephen Fleming posted on Twitter.
ashok.v@newindianexpress.com