WI are World T20 favourites, says Fleming

 Stephen Fleming has overseen the rise of Chennai Super Kings as their coach over the last four years and he understands the dynamics of T20 cricket in the subcontinent. Currently in the city for the junior CSK T20 tournament and a three-day assessment camp of seniors ahead of the Champions League in October, the former New Zealand captain had a chat with TOI on the forthcoming T20 World Cup, India’s chances, MS Dhoni’s captaincy and the current New Zealand team. 

 
Excerpts... 
The T20 World Cup is just round the corner.
Who are your favourites for the tournament?
    It’s West Indies, without a shade of doubt. The kind of variety they have, I think it will be very tough to beat them in the T20 World Cup. When you have the likes of Chris Gayle, Kieron Pollard, Sunil Narine, Dwayne Bravo in your line-up, you should fancy your chances.
What do you make of India?
    With the kind of batting they have, India are a very good side. But I think there are a few loopholes in the bowling. On the placid tracks of Sri Lanka and in a format like T20, that can get exposed. I would like to see how the likes of Zaheer and R Ashwin rise to the occasion.
As coach, one of your biggest success stories is Aswhin. And you have faced Harbhajan Singh as a batsman. How do you compare the two?
    Both of them are very skillfull bowlers and it’s difficult to choose one over the other. Harbhajan, at his prime, was devastating and what stands out is the fact that he has done so well for such a long period of time in Test cricket. Ashwin has been very good in T20s and ODIs, but given another year or so, he, too should become a very good Test bowler. But I think India are really fortunate to get such great off-spinners back-to-back. In fact, it would be great to 
see them bowling together for a while.
Ravindra Jadeja was seen as a superstar when CSK bought him for a whopping price. What went wrong with him?
    It’s true he had a challenging year and that happens to cricketers of his age. Playing for India as well as CSK, he has often come down to bat late and has been in a bit of a hit-and-miss situation. But he is a hard-working cricketer and once he identifies where he has gone wrong, I expect him to come back a better cricketer.
MS Dhoni, at times, looks more reactive than proactive as skipper in Tests...Your thoughts?
    I haven’t seen too much of MS as a captain in Tests, so I shouldn’t make a judgement. But in the shorter format, I don’t think he is reactive. In fact, at times while captaining CSK, he is a little too adventurous. But the best thing about Dhoni’s leadership is that he is an inclusive captain. If there are players who are good thinkers of the game, a captain should look to use their inputs instead of being overprotective about his own position. I think Dhoni uses his resources very well and is still the best man for the job in India.
When you see Sachin Tendulkar getting out the way he is, do you feel signs are not too good?
    It can actually be a case for a debate. I am not too sure whether a player struggles with the incoming delivery when he starts getting old. But I think Sachin got a few decent deliveries and he knows well where he actually stands. He will understand it better than anyone else whether it’s just a lack of form or something more than that and we should allow him to take the call.
What do you make of the current New Zealand team that is playing in India?
    They had played very poor cricket of late till the Bangalore Test. I don’t know why were they trying to be so defensive with so many attacking players around. It was good to see them trying to take the attack to India in Bangalore and I think that’s the way they should approach their game. New Zealand have a decent attack as well and they can be a good side in future.
You have won everything with CSK. Do you think it’s time to expand horizons as a coach?
    I don’t see myself as a full-time coach. I am happy with the three-to-four months that I spend with CSK, where I get to work with some of the best players in the business. I am developing a few skills beyond cricket, but when I decide to take up full-time coaching, I will consider whether I should explore new possibilities.