Eric Simons was part of Chennai Super Kings through thick and thin for nine years, experiencing the full spectrum of sporting emotions – ecstatic highs and disappointing lows – before parting ways with the franchise earlier this year. In a chat with Cricbuzz, the South African, who worked as a bowling coach under Stephen Fleming, reflects on the workings of one of the most successful IPL franchises, deconstructs the art of bowling in the fast-evolving T20 format and explains the enigma that is MS Dhoni.
Excerpts from an interview…
Nine years at CSK. How was the experience? What are those special moments and disappointments that instantly strike you?
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.
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. As for disappointments, 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 (7th in 2020, 9th in 2022, 5th in 2024, 10th in 2025 and 8th in 2026). One must take the good with the bad and always learn.
But what was the secret to your longevity? While other teams change their coaching staff every two or three seasons, you have been there for nine years and Fleming for about 16.
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.
How was it working with MS Dhoni, N Srinivasan, Kasi Viswanathan and lately Rupa Gurunath?
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.
The management was always very supportive. As with MSD, N Srinivasan and Kasi were part of my Team India experience. They understood the ups and downs of cricket and lived it with us rather than judged from a distance.
CSK is a franchise known for the consistency of its methods. What has that environment taught you about team building?
Many people talk about the atmosphere at Chepauk when Dhoni walks out to bat. Is it really as special as they say? And how do you motivate the other players when so much of the attention is focused on one player?
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. 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
Dhoni is renowned for his exceptional ability to read the game. What is one lesson you have learnt from working with him that has stayed with you as a coach?
Two things. 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
Coming to cricket, the other day, Tushar Deshpande (former CSK bowler, currently with RR) credited you for his success in red-ball cricket. Can a delivery that is effective in red-ball cricket be equally effective in white-ball cricket?
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
MS has the ability to make a group believe the impossible is possible ©BCCI
T20 batting has evolved dramatically, with batters finding ways to score against deliveries that would once have been considered difficult to hit. Has the format reached a point where the bowler is no longer trying to win the contest, but simply trying to minimise the damage?
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.
In a 220-run game, a bowler who concedes 40 in four overs is obviously having a good day… We’ve become accustomed to judging bowlers by economy rates and wickets, but are those metrics still telling us anything meaningful without the context of the game? And how do you get a bowler to recognise that he’s done well when the numbers suggest otherwise?
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.
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
If traditional metrics don’t tell the whole story, how should we evaluate a T20 bowling performance? Should we account for the phase of the innings, matchups, the quality of chances created and the difficulty of the conditions? What would a more meaningful assessment look like to you?
Phases of the game are important, opposition stats are important but even more so the point I made above about accuracy of execution.
Even when a bowler has executed his plan, a batter might still hit him for six. How do you help bowlers distinguish between a failure of execution and simply losing a contest to a better shot? And how do you prevent the scoreboard from eroding their confidence?
This talks to the points I made above and undervalued. The management, coaches and captain need to recognise this and review unemotionally. 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.
With teams armed with extensive data and detailed plans for individual batters, how much room is left for instinct and improvisation? Is the real skill now knowing when to abandon a plan that was carefully prepared before the game?
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 in good tactics. I don’t like over detailed plans for batters but rather plans I can deliver that look to control a batter. The subtle use of field placing is important in achieving this for example. Instinct and improvisation still paly a strong part but must be built on logic and reason. That means understanding your tactics and plans, not just knowing what they are.
The death overs seem to encapsulate all these challenges. Batters are more inventive, the margin for error is smaller, and even good execution can be punished. Does everyone have to be a death bowler now?
Everyone needs to have a plan to control a batter in the red zone… hitting out. Even in the {owerplay. As you master this you can use it successfully in the death overs. I cannot over emphasise my belief that bowlers need to control batters and not the other way around. Yes, it’s a difficult mindset to have but when you start out your planning with this in mind it leads to different and exciting answers. Bowlers need to strive to take back control. Bowlers have the ball in their hands and start the dance
If you were building an IPL bowling attack today, would you prioritise five outstanding specialists or six or seven bowlers who offer greater flexibility? Has the evolution of T20 changed what you look for in a complete bowling attack?
Either can work, it’s about how you employ each to deliver a tactic they can deliver. You always need your specialist for key moments but you can work out plans with bowler 5 and 6 for example if you are smart about using them.
What was it about the coaching group of Fleming, Hussey, yourself and the others that worked so well for the franchise?
It was a privilege working as a unit for CSK. We were passionate about the franchise and every player that came under our care. We wanted to make them better versions of themselves as cricketers and in doing that, become better versions of ourselves as coaches.
You have joined England and CSK onboarded Zaheer Khan. Do you think it was time for both the coaching staff and franchise to look for a new direction?
That is not for me to decide, but for the franchise.
This is part of the Cricbuzz series – IPL Off-Season – where we will bring you stories from the T20 tournament all through the year. For more stories from the series, click here.
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