Joe Root said Stephen Fleming’s appointment as England’s test coach was a “big reason” he agreed to ​return as captain of the squad.

Root replaced Ben Stokes ‌after the all-rounder retired following the home series ​against New Zealand. Fleming succeeds compatriot Brendon McCullum, ⁠whose four-year test tenure ended last month, though he remains England’s white-ball coach.

“If I’m being brutally honest, it was a big ‌reason why I wanted to do it,” Root told the England and Wales Cricket Board.

“I’m very ‌excited by the way he sees the game, ‌where ⁠he sees us sit as a team, and ⁠the work that we have to do to get to where we want to get to. All of that got me very excited ​about taking this role ‌on.”

“He’s obviously got a wealth of experience and done some amazing things within the game as a player and as a coach, and I’m very much looking ‌forward to the next little while, and us ​trying to build something pretty special together.”

Former New Zealand captain Fleming coached Chennai Super ⁠Kings for 17 years in the Indian Premier League before leaving last month. Root led England as their full-time test ‌captain between 2017 and 2022 before he was replaced by Stokes. Stokes and McCullum championed a take-no-prisoners approach, which endeared them to the fans and Root hinted he and Fleming would like to retain that attacking mindset. “The last four years have been the most fun I’ve ‌had in professional cricket…,” said the 35-year-old.

“Clearly, the last little while ​is probably what’s fresh in everyone’s mind, but you’re looking at a four-year period where ⁠we did a lot of amazing things. “I’ve taken a lot from ⁠that, and I feel it will be a big part of how I want to approach ‌things moving forward as a leader of this team.” England host Pakistan for a three-test series beginning ​in Leeds on August 19.

Left-arm pacer Gurjapneet Singh praised former Chennai Super Kings coach Stephen Fleming for creating a pressure-free environment.

Reflecting on Fleming’s exit from CSK, Gurjapneet described the Kiwi as a coach who trusted players and encouraged them to rely on their strengths rather than burdening them with pressure. “I was with him for two years. He was very calm and easy to talk to because when we are losing, it’s difficult to talk to the coach sometimes. Everyone is under pressure. But he is a person who doesn’t put pressure on you.

“He has an X-factor. That’s why CSK was able to win five trophies (under him). I think he leaves everything to the players because he finds out the potential of every player. He always asked me to keep practising my strengths, gain confidence in practice and deliver in the matches. That’s what I tried to do,” Gurjapneet said on the sidelines of his TNPL franchise Madurai Panthers’ jersey launch event.

The 27-year-old also highlighted the understanding between Fleming and M.S. Dhoni, saying the duo ensured bowlers were used in roles that best suited them.

England named Joe Root ​as test captain ‌and appointed former New ​Zealand batter ⁠Stephen Fleming as head coach on Thursday ‌following the departures of Ben ‌Stokes and ‌Brendon ⁠McCullum.

Root, 35, led ⁠the side in 64 tests from 2017 ​to 2022.

“It ‌is a great honour and privilege to be asked ‌to be England’s ​men’s test captain again,” Root ⁠said in a statement.

“The test captaincy ‌is a difficult but hugely rewarding job and, after enjoying a brief taste of ‌it again working with ​Brendon McCullum last month, I ⁠am excited to lead ⁠this next generation of players ‌forward,” he said.

As the hunt for Chennai Super Kings’ new head coach is underway, there is a lot of speculation about who will take over from Stephen Fleming. Former CSK player Vidyut Sivaramakrishnan reckons that it would be ideal to promote someone from within the set-up, saying that Michael Hussey could be the right man for the job.

“The big question for the management is: do they want someone similar to Fleming or do they want to go in a new direction? Someone like Brendon McCullum who is more flamboyant and will embrace a high-risk approach,” said Vidyut. “More importantly, the new coach has to align with MS Dhoni’s thought process.”

Vidyut felt that in Hussey, CSK has a coach who is well-respected and understands the IPL ecosystem. “Hussey can be the head coach, but they can get some fresh support staff. He will understand what the team needs and is somebody who has evolved very well with the times. He has been in the system for a long time.”

The former TN opener, who has also been a scout for Super Kings, opined that the franchise could do well with having a Director of Cricket who works through the year. “CSK needs someone like Mo Bobat (Royal Challengers Bengaluru)… someone responsible for identifying the right talent and getting the best squad in the auction because the auction dynamics are very different to coaching,” he added. “In recent years, the other teams have been braver in all aspects, and CSK needs to be more dynamic in its approach.”

All praise

Talking about Fleming’s legacy, Vidyut heaped praise on the New Zealander.

“I remember the first year when he was just a player; after I got out pulling Glenn McGrath, he threw down 60 to 70 balls before the reverse fixture in Delhi to help me improve my pull shot on the front foot. That showed how much he was ready to help. Even when he became a coach, he ensured that he backed the players and did so not just by words but by action. Fleming and Dhoni ensured the team atmosphere was always good,” said Vidyut.

Former Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Indian veteran spinner Ravichandran Ashwin believes CSK should begin planning beyond Stephen Fleming’s long tenure as head coach, saying the franchise has reached a stage where it needs a fresh direction.

On Tuesday, CSK and Fleming decided to mutually part ways, bringing to a close one of the most successful and enduring partnerships in the history of the Indian Premier League (IPL).

Ashwin stressed that if Dhoni is willing to take up the coaching role, he would be the ideal successor given his deep understanding of the team and his successful partnership with Fleming over the years.

Ashwin also noted that any new coach would face uncertainty because Dhoni remains an influential figure within the franchise and continues to play a significant role in discussions surrounding team selection and decision-making.

“Fleming really understood what ticked [MS] Dhoni, and Dhoni understood that Fleming was a great lieutenant, and that partnership carried on for such a long time. I would say it was about time Chennai Super Kings looked beyond,” Ashwin said as per ESPNcricinfo.

“If Dhoni is willing to do that [take over as coach], there is no better person that Chennai Super Kings can go after. If not, they need to find someone who will be able to operate independently and take accountability for his or her own actions.” I think there is a small aspect of uncertainty for anybody who will walk into that dressing room. Mahendra Singh Dhoni is a huge name, and he’s still very much a part of the discussion when you’re talking about a squad that will be picked to play,” Ashwin added.

Fleming joined CSK as a player in the IPL’s inaugural year (2008) and took over as head coach from 2009. Over the next 17 years, the association built one of the most respected and consistent set-ups in franchise cricket.

Under Fleming, CSK has won five IPL trophies as well as 2 Champions League Twenty20 tournaments. The team has entered the playoffs a record 12 times, while also being part of 10 IPL finals.

Ruturaj Gaikwad has endured a difficult start to the IPL season, managing just 63 runs, averaging 12.60 with three single-digit scores in five outings.

His partner Sanju Samson suffered similar returns before a sublime unbeaten hundred at Chepauk turned the tide.

Ayush Mhatre at No. 3, meanwhile, has effortlessly accumulated 171 runs, including two fifties, at an average of 34.20, striking at 170 in the PowerPlay. The youngster had successfully stepped into an injured Ruturaj’s shoes last season.

To lose the first three games in an IPL season is a hellish scenario. But it is not quite a death-knell. Mumbai Indians lost its first four matches in 2015, and still claimed the trophy. In 2024, Royal Challengers Bengaluru won just one of its first eight fixtures, and yet made it to the playoffs.

But for the Chennai Super Kings faithful, these will bring little succour, for it is not just about the defeats but the manner of them. CSK lost to Rajasthan Royals by eight wickets, to Punjab Kings by five, and to RCB by 43 runs. In the T20 universe, these are like distances between the earth and the moon.

“It was a tough night,” CSK head coach Stephen Fleming said after Sunday’s loss to RCB. “We did some good things early on, but unfortunately lost our shape at the back end. We got a little bit shell-shocked and that flowed through into the early parts of our batting as well.

“Against a hitter like Tim David (70 n.o., 25b), you’ve got to be absolutely spot on. We missed, and got hurt in the hardest of fashions.”

This season, CSK has bet big on young batters like Kartik Sharma (19), Prashant Veer (20) and Ayush Mhatre (18), and Fleming was confident that their potential will eventually shine through.

“It’s going to be a really good core of Indian batters. You’re going to get a bit of inconsistency and also some brilliance. It’s a high-octane pace and there are going to be some speed wobbles. It’s about marrying skill with a bit of game sense, and that does take time.”

A limited supply of proven, match-winning overseas options and the growing fearlessness of India’s next generation combined to produce one of the standout narratives of the Indian Premier League auction on Tuesday (December 16, 2025): nine domestic uncapped players breaking into the crorepati club, with three more fetching bids in excess of ₹90 lakh.

While the scale of the spending may have surprised viewers and fans, it was far less unexpected inside the auction room.

“I just wonder if we are now seeing the true product of T20 cricket coming to the fore,” said Chennai Super Kings head coach Stephen Fleming. “It certainly started last year, maybe even the year before. Earlier, my view was that experience would win. But now you’re seeing fearless athletes who’ve grown up on T20 cricket and possess a skill set that is mouth-watering.”

Fleming believed the defining trait of the new generation is the absence of fear. “They have no concern about the environment in which they need to express their skills. That’s something we have to acknowledge — the T20 babies are coming through. Sometimes, experienced players can get caught trying to read the game too much.

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“These young players only know one way, and that freedom has real appeal, especially as the game gets faster and faster. It’s a natural by-product of T20 being around for a long time now.”

CSK was at the forefront of this shift. A franchise once labelled ‘Dad’s Army’ for its reliance on experience, CSK made a clear statement by investing ₹14.20 crore each in rookies Prashant Veer and Kartik Sharma — two of the most expensive uncapped players in IPL history.

Delhi Capitals head coach Hemang Badani, whose franchise went all out to sign Jammu & Kashmir medium-pacer Auqib Nabi, echoed Fleming’s views, stressing that the demand for domestic talent continues to rise.

“Only when someone has to bring it against you do they go that high,” Badani said. “That tells you the kid has something in him — like a Prashant Veer or a Kartik Sharma. There’s a reason franchises are willing to go to ₹12 or ₹14 crore. One player doesn’t go that far on his own. It reflects a bigger picture — a lot of young boys are coming through.”

The auction, in that sense, may have offered a glimpse into the future of the IPL.