Dhoni will play more prominent role as batsman: Fleming

Chennai Super Kings head coach Stephen Fleming today said that skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni would play a 'more prominent' role as a batsman in the upcoming IPL by batting 'relatively high' in the order.

"MS will be relatively high. The time that we choose may depend on the match situation as well. He would definitely play a more prominent role as a batter," Fleming said when asked about Dhoni's probable batting position.

"Ahead of him there are some good picks, Kedar Jadhav, Ambati Rayudu. Jadeja, Bravo, Harbhajan fits in there as well, Karn Sharma, they can all hit. So again, looking at our sides, there a lot of multi-skilled players. There is a lot of options there," he added.

Fleming harped on the team's versatility and said there were a number of multi-skilled players.

"One of the key things of the squad is the versatility.. combinations are important.. both Indian and overseas."
"(Mark) Wood and Ngidi has got good pace. We have Indian quality in Thakur. Our strong component is spinners. Wood has a got a nice skiddy trajectory and pace."
"Excited to have Bhajji here. I have always rated him high. He will play a big part in the season. It will be different than bowling at the Wankhede (stadium). The bounce and top-spin he gets is more suited to the ground here."
"Yeah, he (Bhajji) has been very annoying. He has played some good knocks against the teams I have been involved in. He has played some good knocks in IPL as well. It will be nice if he can recreate some of the form. He batted up the order in one of the games as well."