Two of my favorite captains are MS Dhoni and Graeme Smith. Japan’s Kendel Fleming [Exclusive]

The captain of the Japan cricket team, Kendel Fleming, has disclosed his favorite captains and expressed his dread of MS Dhoni’s hitting ability from his days supporting Australia.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) is working to make cricket a global sport, so the game is growing every day. Likewise, the T20 World Cup in 2024 will include up to 20 teams for the first time. In the meantime, cricket will make a 128-year return to the Olympics in Los Angeles in 2028. These are the first steps towards making cricket a world sport.

Japan is only one of the numerous countries trying to establish themselves in the cricket world. They recently won a seven-match Twenty20 International series against Mongolia, 6-0, at home. Graeme Smith and MS Dhoni are Fleming’s favorite captains. Fleming is a key player on the Japanese cricket team.

“As a fan, two names immediately spring to mind. Graeme Smith is the first. He was a brave commander who accepted his post at an early age. MS Dhoni is undoubtedly the second. He always appeared composed and played games to the very end, even under pressure from a billion Indian fans.

As an Australian fan back in my youth, I used to get nervous whenever Dhoni was batting because I thought he would never be taken out and that he would probably carry the game to the final over before hitting a couple of sixes to end it. In an exclusive interview with CricTracker, Fleming stated, “He’s someone whose demeanor I love to channel.”

Watching MS Dhoni hit a six or come out to bat would be amazing if I were in Chennai. Kendel Fleming

When asked which stadium he would most like to play at when visiting India, the opening batter responded. Fleming stated that, although he has never been to India, he would really like to go and watch cricket matches at various locations to experience the cacophony of cricket-mad fans. Additionally, he expressed how much he would want to see Dhoni take the field or smash a six at Chepauk.

“I have never visited India. The one thing that makes me want to avoid going is the loudness of every venue. When Dhoni steps out to bat, in particular, the first one that springs to mind is in Chennai. At the MCG and Gabba, I witnessed MS Dhoni bat. You can feel the almost insane atmosphere even at those venues. In retrospect, it’s likely the same with [Virat] Kohli and [Sachin] Tendulkar. “Watching Dhoni walk out to bat or hit a late six to win the game would be amazing at the IPL level in Chennai,” Fleming said.