Stephen Fleming, the Chennai Super Kings coach and former New Zealand captain, feels that MS Dhoni
can lead his country for another three to four years but is not sure
whether he will be able to do so across Tests, ODIs and T20s given the
amount of cricket India play.
"I haven't spoken to him on this issue. But he is in fine shape and if
he is fit, he can continue to lead for at least a good three to four
years," Fleming told PTI. "Having said that, I don't know how
long he will be playing all three formats. It's pretty hard as India
have such a tight schedule.
Dhoni has been India's captain in limited-overs cricket since 2007 and
in Tests since 2008. He has led his country in 53 Tests, 159 ODIs and 48
T20 internationals. No one has captained India in as many Tests and
T20s, and only Mohammad Azharuddin led in more one-dayers than Dhoni
has.
Dhoni will turn 33 in July. In January 2012, he had said he might have to give up one of the formats if he was to lead India's World Cup defence in 2015. Such a decision would be made only at the end of 2013, he had said then.
Fleming said that an international captain could have issues if he led
for more than four years, but added that this did not seem to apply to
Dhoni. "Dhoni and Graeme Smith have been exceptions, but I feel that an
international captain has a shelf-life of four years. After that it is
easier to get back as another normal cricketer; if you have been the
leader for too long, then it becomes difficult once you leave the job.
You tend to miss the decision-making authority and stuff like that. In
fact, I faced similar problems after I quit captaincy."
Dhoni's leadership style had suited the Indian team very well over the
years, Fleming said. "Indians look for consistency and have a pattern.
They have such talents that on a given day, some of them can
single-handedly win matches. You don't need too dynamic or too radical
thought-processes when you have players like [Virat] Kohli, Dhoni. In
the case of the New Zealand team, Brendon [McCullum] has to be a bit
dynamic and try a different strategy as they don't have a talent pool
like India."
Apart from his India responsibilities, Dhoni has also been Super Kings'
captain right from the inaugural IPL in 2008. Fleming has also been
involved with the franchise since then, first as a player for the 2008
season and thereafter as coach. He said he had tried to ensure Dhoni
enjoyed his time in franchise cricket while taking a breather from India
duties. "What I try to provide MS is with two months of enjoyment, so
that he can come into the Chennai side having taken a break from the
Indian team. He loves his game and looks a pretty comfortable man
winning games for Chennai consistently."
© ESPN Sports Media Ltd
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