Source : INDIA TODAY NEWS
Chennai Super Kings head coach Stephen Fleming has revealed why MS Dhoni was unavailable for their clash against Gujarat Titans at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium on Sunday, April 26, confirming that the veteran wicketkeeper-batter has suffered another setback in his recovery.
According to Fleming, Dhoni has picked up a fresh niggle in his calf, casting fresh doubt over his availability for the upcoming games. Dhoni has not featured in the IPL so far this season after being sidelined with a calf injury. CSK had earlier confirmed on social media that the former captain would miss the opening two weeks of the campaign.
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There had been growing anticipation ahead of Sunday’s game, with fans hoping to see Dhoni return to action at Chepauk. However, those hopes were dashed when he was once again left out of the playing XI.
Speaking after the match, Fleming said CSK had attempted to accelerate Dhoni’s recovery, only for the injury to resurface during a warm-up game.
WHY CSK OPTED TO PLAY IT SAFE?
Fleming explained that Dhoni’s calf remains a major concern, particularly because any serious strain could rule him out for the rest of the season. As a result, CSK opted to take a cautious approach rather than risk worsening the injury in a competitive match.
“The calf is a tough one though. If he takes off and rips the calf again, then he will be gone. So we pushed it early. In the warm-up game he tweaked it again. That’s my understanding, and since then he has just been working hard to get some movement into it. But there was a setback, so it has taken longer than we thought,” Fleming said.
The warm-up game was seen as a controlled environment in which CSK could assess Dhoni’s fitness without exposing him to the demands of a full IPL fixture. Once the discomfort returned, the team decided not to take any further risks.
CRUSHING DEFEAT TO GT
Earlier reports had suggested that Dhoni was also reluctant to disrupt the team balance and did not want to take the place of a younger player unnecessarily. But with CSK struggling badly in a crushing defeat to Gujarat Titans, his absence was once again felt.
After entering the game on the back of a commanding win over Mumbai Indians, CSK failed to build momentum. Gujarat produced a clinical performance, with Sai Sudharsan leading the chase as GT secured a comfortable win.
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SOURCE :- TIMES OF INDIA
