Chennai: Chennai Super Kings’ head coach, Stephen Fleming, spoke to CSK TV about the team’s training in Surat, new faces in the squad and the strategy post the auction.
On the training and facilities in Surat
They’ve been training well for the last week, happy to join them finally. Good to be out in a good facility. So, it’s been good.
The challenge in Mumbai is that all the teams are training there. So we felt coming to Surat and having similar conditions in terms of red soil and climate. Similar to what will be in Mumbai. But to have this ground to ourselves and be able to have open wickets and long net sessions has been very valuable.
Fresh blood in the squad
We’re really happy it went to plan. We lost a couple of players but we’ve gained some real talent as well. This year, we’ve got a good blend of youth and experience. So, it’s with a view to another three to four year cycle. We’re really excited about the way the auction went down.
New Zealand players in the squad
Well, they came cheap. They’re all very skillful players. Devon Conway has had a great couple of years Internationally. Mitch (Santner) has been a stalwart for us and in Adam Milne, we’ve got a little bit of pace. So, all three of them have great credentials and a good skill set for us.
Net bowlers
Last couple of years have been important in terms of quality net bowlers. Not just for training the team but also to help the players behind the scenes. To be able to pick players up in the auction that were with us, particularly last year, it is quite a thrill. It just shows that development does not have to be through the auction. We can do it in other ways and other teams do it but we’re really pleased to pick up a couple of players from our net bowlers last season. They were better than that, they were good and opportunities will come.
To the fans
It’s wrong on me but I get a bit biased about the support, driving home and to the ground and seeing a team deep with people is a thrill. And watching players who are new to CSK experiencing the type of support and the fans around India is quite something.
