Fleming unsure of Dhoni's future after WC

Coach Stephen Fleming said he wants Mahendra Singh Dhoni to represent Chennai Super Kings till the end of 2019 Indian Premier League.

Fleming is happy the way Dhoni has played and led and believes he has answered questions about his World Cup availability in the last 12 months.

“I certainly was hoping he was going to get through to the World Cup and he is going to do that. What he wants to do after that I am not sure. We haven’t had those discussions. Most of the discussion has been around whether he would make it to the World Cup. He answered that pretty emphatically in the last 12 months, six months in particular,” Fleming said ahead of their contest against Delhi Capitals.

"I would love him to carry on for Chennai till the end of this cycle and we will then assess. But it’s really a question for him and his motivation. He is playing well, leading well, seems to be enjoying well. So that’s three key factors that will keep him in the game for a long time."

The former New Zealand captain called Rishabh Pant a great prospect but said his team was not focussing only on him. “You have to respect so many players in the tournament and he is one of them. There are also others in their team and you need to ensure that you don’t over-plan,” said Fleming.

“Pant is a great young prospect, who played beautifully against some of the world’s best bowlers the other night. But then you can’t put too much emphasis on one player. You need to concentrate on your players."

On a low and slow Kotla pitch, Fleming admitted the role of spinners can be crucial.

“It (pitch) is reasonably dry and the fact that we use spinners as tactic, it will be under consideration. One of the great challenges is to get the combination in the team right. We also have good seamers if need be. We spend a lot of time talking to MS and to be as accurate with our tactic,” said Fleming.