India has always been a great country to come to: Stephen Fleming

Former New Zealand skipper Stephen Fleming has stated that he has always enjoyed the love and the hospitality that he has received each time he has made the trip to India. With the Kiwis set to take on India in an upcoming Test and ODI series, Fleming turned the clock back to the times when he made his way to the subcontinent in different capacities.

Apart from touring the subcontinent on several occasions, Fleming has been a part of the Chennai Super Kings as well as the Rising Pune Supergiants in the IPL in several coaching capacities. He has also led the Super Kings to a few IPL titles in his time. He also has a well-documented relationship with India skipper MS Dhoni.

“India has always been a great country to come to, very warm and hospitable. But the last ten years, especially ever since I started coaching, I’ve come to appreciate what India is all about. I’m not staying here for a day or two, but for longer stretches — three or four months. That gave me a chance to know everyone on a deeper level,” he said.

Fleming also went on to open up about his relationship with Indian batting legend Rahul Dravid. He recalled the time when he and Dravid played side by side in the youth cup in 1992.

“I have got a long-standing relationship with Rahul Dravid. I have known him since 1992 because we played in the youth cup together. Since then our relationship has only grown and he has been very hospitable. Every time I am in Bengaluru, our families have dinner together,” he shared.

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Finally, he opened up about his friendship with some of the Chennai Super Kings players. “(MS) Dhoni, (Suresh) Raina, (Ravichandran) Ashwin and (Ashish) Nehra have become really good friends. To know them not as competitors but as your own teammates has been a phenomenal experience,” he said.