IPL 2020 | Sam Curran's attitude helped Dhoni trust and send him at a crucial time, asserts Stephen Fleming 

When MS Dhoni sent in Sam Curran ahead of himself after the dismissal of Ravindra Jadeja with team needing 29 off 17 balls in the tournament opener at a crucial time, many eyebrows were raised but it turned out to be a captaincy masterstroke by former Indian captain MS Dhoni, as the southpaw smashed Krunal Pandya and helped CSK win the game comfortably.

Talking about the move to send Curran over Dhoni and absence of Dwayne Bravo, CSK head coach, Fleming, remarked that Curran has gone a long way in filling up the spot of Bravo. He added that when the chips are down and things get difficult, the all-rounder knows how to raise his game. 

"Losing Dwayne (Bravo) was a big loss and Sam went a long way in filling that.The things that impressed us with Sam is his attitude first and foremost, almost the harder it gets the better he gets, his all-round skill component and the fact that the captain was able to trust him straightaway to go in at a crucial time and hit the way he did," Fleming told the CSK website, reported TOI.

"Also with the ball, to be a part of it straightaway, almost stepping straight off the plane was a sign of his attitude and what he is going to bring to CSK for the next few years." 

The former New Zealand skipper also revealed that injured Bravo was recovering well and with Curran turning up for the side, they need not hurry him back to the side.

"Bravo is progressing, we are working closely to get him up to 100 per cent. We've got three quick games in a row, so we'll look at each game and monitor him each time we train.

"With Sam's performance, it takes a bit of pressure off rushing Bravo back, but he's one of the world's best and to have him in the selection equation is very important to us," Fleming said.