"I never heard either of them say, 'We need to win the game today'" - Shane Watson on MS Dhoni and Stephen Fleming's philosophy at CSK

Former Australian all-rounder Shane Watson has praised MS Dhoni and Stephen Fleming for building a process-driven environment for the Chennai Super Kings (CSK). Watson, who played for the Yellow Army for three years, stated that the duo ensured that the players feel secure.

Dhoni and Fleming have formed one of the most iconic coach-captain duos in the history of the IPL. The pair have led CSK to four IPL trophies, winning consecutive titles in 2010 and 2011. They also worked in the same capacity for the Rising Pune Supergiants in the 2016 edition.

In an extract from his new book 'Winning the Inner Battle', Shane Watson states that Dhoni and Fleming gave the players freedom without making winning the priority. The former all-rounder wrote:

"The team environment where this was done incredibly well was at Chennai Super Kings in the IPL under captain MS Dhoni and coach Stephen Fleming. I never heard either of them say, "We need to win this game today,' or 'If you don't score runs today or take wickets, you will be getting dropped.'"

The former Aussie all-rounder had an illustrious IPL career. He won the Player of the Tournament award in the Rajasthan Royals' victorious campaign in the inaugural edition of the IPL. The Queenslander also clobbered a hundred in the 2018 IPL final to lead the Super Kings to the title.

"My second year with CSK really stuck with me" - Shane Watson

Shane Watson. (Image Credits: Getty)

Watson recalled the 2019 IPL campaign and remembered how the CSK consistently played the same side and compared it to earlier camps where the mindset was negative. The 41-year-old added:

"My second year with CSK really stuck with me. There was no chopping and changing in selection. In other teams I had been with, players were turned over constantly. If a player didn't perform for a couple of games, selectors would think he wasn't good enough and would replace him immediately.

"This meant that everyone started looking over their shoulders and thinking, 'Gosh, if I don't perform in a couple of games, then I could be gone too.'"

The veteran cricketer retired from all forms of cricket in November 2020 after playing 343 T20s and over 300 games for Australia.