JOIN USStephen Fleming, the affable coach of losing finalists Rising Pune Supergiant, said he was proud of his team that wasn’t one of the “skilled” sides in the Indian Premier League.
“We are not a skilled side in the IPL,” he said before elaborating on his team’s journey to the final. “In this campaign, we have had some players stand up from nowhere. We take real pride in that. We have created an environment where some players excel. Jaydev (Unadkat) has been extraordinary, so have been Rahul Tripathi and (Manoj) Tiwary. Big stars have stepped up at key times. Ben Stokes was fantastic for us. I am very proud of the combination we put together and the campaign we ran. We would have loved to have sat here and had the icing on the cake but it does not change the feelings about the work that we put in at the start of the year,” he remarked.
The former Kiwi skipper also spoke about MS Dhoni with whom he has been associated with for all seasons of IPL, first at Chennai Super Kings and now at Pune.
“It is always good to work with MS Dhoni,” he said. “I enjoy working with him. He has a proud 10-year record. We have a good history and some good relations. Steve was the captain this year. MS Dhoni has slotted into the role of a senior player very easily. He is a proud man but he is a humble man. We saw the interaction between the two (Dhoni and Smith). Leadership was never going to be a weakness for us.”