"Last Captain Was Cool But This Guy...": CSK Coach Compares MS Dhoni, Ruturaj Gaikwad

Chennai Super Kings captain Ruturaj Gaikwad is cut from the same cloth as MS Dhoni and it is unfair to term the former "slow" while batting, said head coach Stephen Fleming here on Saturday. Gaikwad, who replaced Dhoni as the CSK captain at the beginning of this IPL, has had a mixed start to his leadership stint losing two away games and winning three at home. But at the same time, the 27-year-old Gaikwad has been criticised for "slow" batting.

The right-handed opening batter has so far garnered 155 runs in five matches with a strike rate of 117.42.

"There's no difference. He's as cool as it gets. I know the last captain was pretty cool. But this guy is cut from the same cloth, so that's rubbed through," Fleming said when asked if he had any discussion with Gaikwad in terms of differentiating between his leadership and his batting.

“He is such an impressive young man around his game and what he needs to do. He's been, I think, unfairly put into a bracket where he's been called slow. But you have to have context to some of these stats,” Fleming told the media during CSK's training session at the Wankhede Stadium.

“We know that it's a bit of a Bollywood movie, sometimes getting these things up onto the screen. But he's fine. He's playing conditions well. The last game (CSK vs KKR) was a great example of how a leader plays, and there's class as well. I have absolutely no doubt about Ruturaj,” Fleming added.

Fleming clarified that appointing Ruturaj as skipper is a long-term call and not a makeshift decision by the five-time winners.

“I hope so. That's the plan, and so far it's worked well. The transition has been really smooth. He's judged by wins but we judge it differently. His leadership around the team is top-class. I