Eric Simons on nine years at CSK: 'The public saw the cricketer, I was privileged to see MSD the man'
Eric Simons, the South African who spent nine years as Chennai Super Kings' bowling coach under Stephen Fleming, has lifted the lid on the workings of one of the IPL's most successful franchises after parting ways with CSK earlier this year. In a candid interview, Simons reflected on the full spectrum of sporting emotions he experienced at the club and explained why he believes the man behind the captaincy was even more remarkable than the cricketer.
Nine years at CSK: the highs and the lows
Simons described his time at the franchise as a privilege, pointing to the environment and the calibre of people around him as the defining feature of his tenure.
"It was a great privilege to be part of a franchise like CSK. To have that many years in such a successful environment, working with some of the best players in the world and some great coaches was a great experience," he said.
Asked about the moments that stand out, Simons pointed to one particularly dramatic triumph. "Every time we won the IPL, it was an incredibly special moment, particularly the one where Jaddu (Ravindra Jadeja) scored the winning runs off the last ball. The game went backwards, and forwards and each team would have felt in control at some point. The result was in doubt until the very end."
There were lean years too. "For a franchise like ours that had experienced so much success, to end last or second last in the league was always a great disappointment," he admitted, referencing CSK's finishes across recent seasons. "One must take the good with the bad and always learn."
The secret to longevity
While rival franchises routinely overhaul their coaching staff every two or three seasons, Simons remained for nine years and Fleming for around sixteen. He attributed that continuity to trust at the top of the organisation.
"The secret to longevity was the trust the owner showed in both coaches and playing staff. The relationship between MS Dhoni, Mr N Srinivasan and Stephen Fleming was the cornerstone of the consistency that CSK built," he said.
Working with Dhoni: 'the man is even more remarkable'
Simons was effusive about his time working alongside Dhoni, whom he first coached with India from 2009 and later at Pune and CSK.
"I have said many times that one of the greatest privileges was working in a team captained by MSD. I was privileged to do it from 2009 with India and for many years in the IPL, first at Pune and then CSK. The public saw the cricketer, I was privileged to see MSD the man. I believe the man is even more remarkable than the cricketer."
He also praised the wider management, noting that N Srinivasan and Kasi Viswanathan had been part of his Team India experience. "They understood the ups and downs of cricket and lived it with us rather than judged from a distance."
On the noise at Chepauk and leading around a superstar
Simons said the reception for Dhoni at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium defies description and stands apart from anything in world sport.
"The atmosphere and noise when MS Dhoni walks to the middle are impossible to describe. I have heard international spectators and cricketers repeatedly say that nowhere else in the world had they ever experienced that level of noise in a sports arena, and I do mean nowhere."
Asked how he motivated the players around a figure who commands so much attention, Simons said it was never necessary. "You did not have to motivate players around MS Dhoni. He set the benchmark for others to follow, and he inspired many to be better."
Lessons from Dhoni that shaped Simons as a coach
Pressed on what he learned from Dhoni's game-reading, Simons distilled it into two principles.
"Firstly, the importance of simplicity after complexity. Simple without complexity is without substance, but when you can work through complex situations and get back to simplicity after complex, you have gold. MSD was able to take complex and make it simple. Secondly, that a plan everyone buys into, even if it is not perfect, is better than the perfect plan that people doubt. MS has the ability to make a group believe the impossible is possible and believe in their own ability to deliver on the impossible plan."
Red-ball delivery, white-ball value
Simons was asked about Tushar Deshpande, the former CSK bowler now with Rajasthan Royals, who recently credited the coach for his success in red-ball cricket — and whether a delivery effective with the red ball translates to the white ball.
"I absolutely believe that it can be. Bowlers need to often be more patient with their tactics and force batsmen to hit off a good line and length. When you look at the area that batters score boundaries in a (T20) Powerplay, the area where least boundaries are scored from is the top of off stump, a good area for any red-ball bowler," he said.
Has T20 reduced bowlers to damage limitation?
With batting evolving dramatically, Simons rejected the idea that bowlers are now simply trying to contain.
"I would be extremely disappointed if this was true. Even in a batter dominated game there are ways a bowler can regain control. Teams need to look at bowling differently. A bowler has the ball in his hand and starts the process. He needs to think 'how can I make the batter bat' and not 'how does the batter make me bowl.' It is a subtle but hugely important difference."
Rethinking how T20 bowling is judged
Simons argued that economy rates and wickets, without context, tell us less than they once did, and called for accuracy to be measured directly.
"I think the measurements currently used are helpful but need to be reconsidered. A bowler should be measured by accuracy of delivery and not only the outcome. A coach, captain and bowler should build tactics together and own the tactic together. The bowler then needs to deliver accurately and the team owns the tactic."
He wants teams to track execution data. "When teams build a team the stats they should have are not just strike rates and economy rates but also accuracy measurements. They should know this bowler delivers a wide yorker 30 percent of the time, a heel yorker 42 percent and top off stump in the Powerplay 48 percent as examples. These are more meaningful statistics."
Simons said phases and opposition data matter, but execution matters more, and he urged unemotional review to separate a bad ball from a good shot.
"I have had a bowling unit have a team 35 for 3 after 6 in the Powerplay and based on our tactics, have not executed accurately so have not bowled well. The opposite is also true, where a unit has executed but great batting has the team at 60 in the Powerplay. Bad bowling might have conceded 75 so because of execution the bowling might be considered good. Teams must constantly review unemotionally so that a four is not always a bad ball and a wicket a good ball."
On the balance between data and instinct, he stressed that understanding the 'why' behind a plan is what gives a bowler the freedom to adapt. "How information is used is very important. It is not just what the tactic is but understanding why that tactic works. Reading a batter technique, understanding conditions, understanding your strengths and building sequences of balls play a huge role," he said.