Ben Stokes credits MS Dhoni-Stephen Fleming bond for his relation with Brendon McCullum, shows mirror to Rohit Sharma-Rahul Dravid

Ben Stokes, the England Test captain led his team to a memorable win in the first Test against India in Hyderabad. Heading into the second Test, he spoke about how he and Brendon McCullum learned from seeing MS Dhoni and Stephen Fleming go about their job as captain and coach at CSK.

The Fleming-Dhoni have been instrumental behind Chennai Super Kings winning five IPL titles with the last of them being as recent as in 2023. Chennai beat Gujarat Titans in the IPL 2023 final to win their fifth title.

Ben Stokes spoke to the Times of India on his learnings from the CSK duo ahead of the second Test against India. Stokes was roped in for 16.25 crores ahead of IPL 2023 played just two games for the franchise and was released ahead of the IPL 2024 auction. Stokes’ unavailability is the main reason why the franchise decided to release him ahead of IPL 2024.

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Me And Baz Try And Follow MS And Flem: Ben Stokes

The 32-year-old opened up about his experience with the team and discussed the camaraderie he observed between MS Dhoni and Stephen Fleming.

“You say we ended up winning, that’s how I got the TFC Award, the ‘Thanks For Coming’ award. Obviously, it didn’t quite go how I wanted it to with the injury and stuff like that. But just being part of an unbelievable franchise like Chennai. I’ve worked with Fleming and MS before when I was playing in Pune. I think how MS and Fleming complemented each other was something to behold. The trust that they have in the decisions they make, one as a coach and one as a captain. MS has the emotion of being out in the game, whereas sometimes when you’re sitting on the sideline, you don’t have that emotion,” Stokes said on Jio Cinema.

“I think they both have an incredible understanding of that. But one thing me and Baz always try to do, and what MS and Flem do is whatever decision they make around selection or whatever decision they have to make very quickly, it’s always based around what’s best for the team. That’s something me and Baz always try and live by when we make decisions,” he added.

Ben Stokes came out of his ODI retirement to play the ICC World Cup 2023 for England. He scored 304 runs in the tournament at an average of 50.66 at a striek rate touching 90 with one hundred and two fifties. Though England finished seventh on the table, they managed to qualify for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 to be played in Pakistan.

Ben Stokes is already among the most successful England captains with 14 wins out of 19 games since taking over the captaincy. Next in line is former captain Nasser Hussain with 17 wins out of 45 games as captain.

Ben Stokes led England to a 28-run win over India in the first Test in Hyderabad. His captaincy especially in the second innings drew a lot of accolades. Stokes was brilliant in the field, especially with the run out of Ravindra Jadeja and rotating his bowlers around especially with Jack Leach injured. The second Test starts in Vizag on February 2.

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