'Dhoni wants what's best for the team' – Hussey

CSK's batting coach Michael Hussey has revealed that MS Dhoni isn't present at venues on match days to ensure his presence doesn't come across as a distraction. Dhoni, yet to play his first game of the season, hasn't been seen at the ground during CSK's matches despite attending pre-match net sessions.

"He's such a team-orientated guy," Hussey said on Friday (May 1) ahead of CSK's clash against MI. "He always wants what's best for the team and he was worried that if he came there'd be a bit too much of a distraction. Obviously the cameras would be on him a lot. The crowd would be cheering for him. He really wanted the team to just be able to go about their job. That's the thinking behind Dhoni not wanting to come to the matches.

"Obviously he's been watching very closely back home. I personally love having him around the dressing room. He offers so much wisdom and confidence to the rest of the guys. He's at training all the time and offers a lot of his experience. It was just a case he didn't want to see himself as a distraction, that's why he decided on game day to stay away."

On Dhoni's impending return to IPL action, Hussey indicated the wait might not be longer. "I don't know if it's tomorrow or maybe the next match after that but he's progressing really well. I know he's been upping his running speeds and that was probably the sticking point. We're very confident from a skill perspective with his batting and wicketkeeping. It was just making sure he could maintain good running power towards the back end of an innings where he'll have to scamper those ones and twos. As soon as he's got the confidence in his calf I'm sure he'll give it the tick to ready to go. We're guided by him at the moment. I think all of Chennai's waiting. All the fans are waiting and hoping."

Hussey also admitted CSK are still working out how to best use the impact player rule. CSK have copped flak for using it very early in their innings on a couple of occasions this season with the move backfiring both times.

"I think we've been experimenting a little bit," Hussey said. "We've had four substitutes ready to go according to the situation. Sometimes it's worked really well like when Akeal Hosein came in and bowled extremely well as the impact sub. Other times it hasn't quite worked out. It's something we're talking about a lot behind the scenes. Do we use it in a strategic way by trying to insert a certain player at the right time? Or is that destabilising other players like your Brevis or Dube? We're starting to think maybe we'd like to keep more stability through the year and use the impact player towards the back end of the innings."