Stephen Fleming recalls ‘unique’ MS Dhoni moment that gave him goosebumps

Other than skipper MS Dhoni, Stephen Fleming is another such individual who has been an integral part of Chennai Super Kings (CSK) since its inception. The  49-year-old’s association with the franchise has worked wonders for the team as a unit, as under his guidance, the Men in Yellow have won four championships in the Indian Premier League. 

While speaking about his affiliation with the Chennai Super Kings, the former cricketer recalled one of his favourite moments that literally gave him goosebumps. He referred to an incident back from 2021, when the Chepauk crowd went crazy when MS Dhoni entered the stadium for a practice session. Describing it as unique, Fleming stated that he had never experienced something like that in his life ever before.

“The noise is a part of it. You associate that with the game. It was actually practice day that really struck home to me when we came back in and MS came out to bat and it was something like 20,000 people for our homecoming. Just the excitement and that noise for a training, was something I haven't experienced before. It was really unique and I know a lot of players and a lot of people who took note of that,” Fleming said in a YouTube video posted by the franchise.

“The hairs on the back of your neck stood up, It was unexpected. It was great to try and have the players training in that type of environment. It was real introduction back to our home ground,” he added. 

CSK aim for fifth IPL title

Meanwhile, ahead of the 16th edition of the cash-rich league, the Chennai-based franchise have signed some key players in the form of Ben Stokes, Ajinkya Rahane, and Kyle Jamieson among others. The four-time champions went all out and signed Stokes for a whopping INR 16.25 crore, while they roped in Rahane for INR 50 lakhs and Jamieson for INR 1 crore.

CSK getting their hands on Stokes will prove to be a masterstroke for the MS Dhoni-led side, while Rahane can act as a replacement of Robin Uthappa in the squad. On the other hand, Kyle Jamieson with his height and speed can be really valuable in pace-friendly tracks.