Former New Zealand skipper Stephen Fleming has been in India several times from the time when he captained the Kiwis in several tournaments in India to his coaching days for Chennai Super Kings and Rising Pune Super Giants in the previous editions of the IPL after calling it a day from international cricket. But the 43-year-old veteran said that he got to know the real India during his coaching days for the franchise teams.
“India has always been a great country to come to, very warm and hospitable. But the last ten years, especially ever since I started coaching, I’ve come to appreciate what India is all about. I’m not staying here for a day or two, but for longer stretches — three or four months. That gave me a chance to know everyone on a deeper level,” he said.
Off the field, the former Kiwis captain has been a part of various initiatives in India. The southpaw who was in Delhi recently as the brand ambassador of New Zealand education revealed that Rahul Dravid is his oldest friend in India.
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“I have got a long-standing relationship with Rahul Dravid. I have known him since 1992 because we played in the youth cup together. Since then our relationship has only grown and he has been very hospitable. Every time I am in Bengaluru, our families have dinner together,” he shared.
Fleming is also good friends with people whom he coached during his tenure as an IPL coach. “(MS) Dhoni, (Suresh) Raina, (Ravichandran) Ashwin and (Ashish) Nehra have become really good friends. To know them not as competitors but as your own teammates has been a phenomenal experience,” he said.
The left-hander made his Test debut for New Zealand against India in 1994 winning Man of the Match in his debut Test scoring 92. In 1995 he survived a controversy when he admitted smoking marijuana with teammates Matthew Hart and Dion Nash in their hotel room.
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Fleming scored his maiden Test century for New Zealand against England in 1996/97 at Auckland in the first Test of the series and went on to take over the captaincy reigns from Lee Germon in the 3rd Test becoming New Zealand’s youngest captain at 23 years and 321 days.
He holds the records for most Test and ODI runs by a New Zealand batsman and has also captained his country more than anyone else. The southpaw brought down curtains to his international career playing his last Test for New Zealand against England in 2008.
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