Fleming rubbishes a false report on MS Dhoni’s sacking

One of the biggest news that preceded IPL 2017 was the sacking of MS Dhoni as the captain of Rising Pune Supergiant. After a disastrous first season in 2016, where RPS finished the tournament ranked 7th in the points table, the team management decided to hand the reins of the side to Australian captain Steve Smith.

Since then there have been a lot of speculations regarding the sacking of the best captain India has ever had. Recently, a website posted a piece in which they claimed to have revealed the reason behind Dhoni’s ouster as a captain. The website, Sportswallah.com, stated that RPS coach Stephen Fleming, who shares a close bond with MSD since their association in CSK since 2008, had stated that Dhoni was sacked because the India stumper was not able to handle pressure.

Bogus report

The post did not sound convincing at all as Dhoni is someone who has absorbed immense pressure for a long period of time. He has captained India for 9 years which in itself showcase his ability to manage pressure. He has produced a number of knocks, which culminated into crucial wins, in big games when the pressure was soaring.

Fleming took to Twitter to dismiss the post as “rubbish”. He mentioned that Dhoni has been the “greatest finisher game has ever seen, especially under pressure”. He said that his quotes which are present in the post are all made up and tagged Sportwallah’s twitter handle.

Fleming was absolutely spot on in describing the 35-year-old the greatest finisher. Dhoni has 2434 runs at 97.36 in successful chases for India which is a testimony to the man’s ability to soak up pressure.

After a stuttering start, RPS recovered well to finish the group stages ranked No. 2 in the points table. They now face Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium on Tuesday in quest of a first final qualification.