Chennai Super Kings coach Stephen Fleming feels that Mahendra Singh Dhoni is good enough to continue as a captain for three years but the New Zealander is not sure "whether he can continue playing all three formats" for that long a time.
"I haven't spoken to him on this issue. He is in fine shape and if he is fit, he can continue to lead for atleast good three to four years. Having said that, I don't know how long he will be playing all three formats. It's pretty hard as India have such a tight schedule," Fleming told PTI during an interaction here today.
Fleming has been the coach of Chennai Super Kings for six seasons now and shares a great rapport with Dhoni.
"What I try to provide MS is with two months of enjoyment, so that he can come into Chennai side having taken a break from the Indian team. He loves his game and looks pretty comfortable man winning games for Chennai consistently," Fleming said.
But for Fleming, who captained New Zealand close to a decade, feels that an international skipper has a shelf life of four years and beyond that can create some problems.
"Look Dhoni and Graeme Smith has been exceptions but I feel that an international captain has a shelf life of four years. After that it is easier to get back as another normal cricketer," Fleming said at the launch of the mobile and internet app CricHQ at the New Zealand embassy.
"If you have been the leader for too long, then it becomes difiicult once you leave the job. You tend to miss the decision making authority and stuffs like that. In fact, I faced the similar problems after I quit captaincy," he said.
Fleming feels that Dhoni's low-key approach of leadership suits the Indian team well.
"He has got a style that suits the Indian team pretty well. Indians look for consistency and have a pattern. They have such talents that on a given day, some of them can single-handedly win matches. You don't need too dynamic or too radical thought-process when you have players like Kohli, Dhoni.
