Should Chennai Super Kings (CSK) opt to move on from Stephen Fleming as the head coach, former player Ravichandran Ashwin believes that their search for a new man for the job might not be as difficult as it may seem.

Ashwin in a post on X cheekily implied that MS Dhoni himself might be the man for the job. It comes as no surprise considering how he is the face of the franchise. He is the former captain that has led them to five titles. He has yet to retire from playing in the IPL, but the current season has certainly sparked speculation considering how he was unable to play a single game this season due to injury.

Fleming, a former New Zealand captain, was given the head coaching job back in 2009 where he took over from Kepler Wessels. While they did not win the title in their first year, the wait came to an end next year to get them on a winning spree with two consecutive titles. But their best period was from the 2018-2023 period where they went on to win three titles in a six-year span.

The CSK squads of late have seemed to be outdated. While teams are focusing on power-hitting and maximising the runs, Chennai have seemed to be living in the early years of the IPL. Whether that comes down to the current head coach is a different concern altogether.

Earlier, it was the likes of Rahul Tripathi, Deepak Hooda, and Daryl Mitchell to name a few who struggled to fit the explosive modern template. Now it is the captain, Ruturaj Gaikwad, who has looked well out of touch, adding to the team’s top-order scoring struggles. Within the bowling, they’ve had some quality with Noor Ahmad finishing second in the Purple Cap race and now Anshul Kamboj showing clear potential.

However, it never really felt like a proper, well-drilled bowling unit like the ones we saw for Gujarat Titans or even the Lucknow Super Giants. With tactical gaps appearing in both the batting and bowling units, the question of leadership transition is looming larger than ever, which has resulted in the franchise being unable to make it to the playoffs for three seasons in a row.

If Chennai does decide to change direction in their coaching staff, Ashwin has made it clear that the most qualified candidate in world cricket is already sitting right in their dugout.

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Source: India Today