"One man doesn't win the IPL," Chennai Super Kings coach Stephen Fleming said Friday, differing with Gautam Gambhir's viewpoint that one can't say Virat Kohli and Mahendra Singh Dhoni in the same breath, as India's captain has not won the tournament.
Former India opener Gambhir, who led Kolkata Knight Riders to two IPL trophies in 2012 and 2014, recently said that in a result-oriented franchise environment, Kohli has been "lucky" to have survived despite Royal Challengers Bangalore never winning the coveted title in his eight years as skipper.
But Fleming thought otherwise.
"There's a number of things that go towards it. One thing I do know is that when there's a challenge put in front of him, he meets it," said Kohli.
Fleming's admiration for the Indian batting maestro did not stop there, and said retaining the trophy they won last year will be very difficult.
"But as I say they're really looking (like) a good team. Most teams on paper are outstanding so we have got our work cut out to win it again, we will be giving it a good shot as well," he added.
Fleming said the loss of the team's South African paceman Lungi Ngidi was a big blow.
Fleming was speaking on the eve of the IPL-12 opener between CSK and Royal Challengers Bangalore at the M A Chidambaram Stadium. He said South African captain Faf du Plessis, leg-spinner Imran Tahir and New Zealand all-rounder Mitchell Santner had arrived and were available for selection.
"There is a real emphasis on starting the tournament well. Last year, we won a couple of games which could easily have gone the other way. We know the importance of a good start. We are certainly not desperate to win it and it's just an opportunity we are looking forward to," he added.
(With inputs from PTI)
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