IPL 2019: Dhoni's absence has impact on team and captaincy, says Fleming

On Chinnaswamy pitch, CSK head coach Fleming expects a high-scoring game on Sunday, which means there will be more pressure on bowlers and batters

Chennai Super Kings head coach Stephen Fleming on Saturday said whenever a crucial player and captain like Dhoni is not in the team, it does impacts the overall team performance but absence of such players can be fulfilled by making some required adjustments. Fleming believes that despite Dhoni and Dwayne Bravo’s absence, CSK did well in their last match. "Whenever a great player who is in great form is not in your side, it does have an impact on your team as well as captaincy. You have to make adjustments. But it does not mean that we are not competitive. We still turned out a very good side in the last game and still got well beaten," Fleming told reporters on the eve of their IPL match against Royal Challengers Bangalore on Sunday. "We tend to look at short form quite separately. We tend to give guys more chances, because we are asking them to play a high-risk game. So it is unfair to look at form after two or three innings, both batting and bowling wise," he said. "The selection policy of the team is more conservative than others, but it tries to get the right team for any condition, which is a challenge in away matches," he added. "We are a little bit more settled at home, which is how it should be. But when we travel away we set to work hard on making sure we get the balance between seam bowlers and spinners. That is the simplistic way we look at selecting sides and we're pretty conservative with the emphasis on cohesion." On Chinnaswamy pitch, Fleming expects a high-scoring game on Sunday, which means there will be more pressure on bowlers and batters. "It is obviously overcast and a little bit damp around, so you need to wait 24 hours, it is going to change a lot in nature. I think it will be a good track, possibly a high-scoring game which is what we expect. So, pressure on bowlers, but also batters as well," the New Zealander said. "We will read the pitch tomorrow, but one cannot assume it is going to be 200 versus 200," he said.