On the day of their Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 match against Kolkata Knight Riders, the news about Chennai Super Kings captain MS Dhoni testing COVID-19 positive came in and that they were admitted into a private hospital in Ranchi.


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Dhoni’s father Pan Singh and mother Devaki Devi have both tested positive for COVID-19 and are currently recuperating at the Pulse Superspeciality Hospital in Ranchi. “From a management point of view, we are well aware of his family’s situation. And the support is set up for MS and his family. Talking with MS, the situation is under control for now but we’ll monitor it in the next few days. It’s a tough time for everybody,” Fleming said in a virtual press conference, after the match against Kolkata Knight Riders which CSK won by 18 runs here at the Wankhede Stadium on Wednesday.


“It’s (COVID-19) affecting India the way it is and it is reaching IPL with friends and family and hopefully not to the bubbles. We spent quite a bit of time talking about the care of friends and families in the wider group. We have that responsibility that MS has the support that he needs. We hope that his family recovers quickly,” he added.


In an update on Wednesday (April 21), the Pulse Superspeciality Hospital said that the oxygen level of Dhoni’s parents is stable. Following their thrilling win over KKR, CSK are now at the top of the table in the ongoing Indian Premier League, with six points from four games. They will next face Royal Challengers Bangalore on Sunday.


“We learnt about ourselves from Abu Dhabi and Dubai last year. It is very hard when you are conditioned to play one style and then to do 180, that was a challenge we had last year. But by the time, the tournament ended last year, we learnt a lot of things. A big focus on making sure that we assess the conditions here. We have done that really well. Three wins out of four has probably exceeded expectations, we thought three out of five would be good, but we are really proud, especially with our batting,” Fleming said.


Faf du Plessis remained unbeaten on 95 while Ruturaj Gaikwad scored 64 runs off just 42 balls. Skipper MS Dhoni also scored 17 runs off eight balls while Jadeja dispatched his first and only ball of the innings for a six.


“We rate Ruturaj very highly. I know there is pressure from outside but from within the camp, there was no doubt of what he is capable of. Naturally, you want the player to get into the tournament. He is such a stylish player, he trains well and he has got talent oozing out of him. There was not any pressure there, but this performance will do him a world of good,” said the former New Zealand captain.


(with ANI inputs)