Tag: Ricky Ponting

  • 'He's Never Been One…', What Ricky Ponting Said On R Ashwin Playing His 100th Test Shouldn't Be Missed | cricket news

    R Ashwin played his 100th Test for India when the Dharamsala Test between India and England began at the HPCA stadium. With 507 Test wickets to his name, Ashwin is India's second most successful bowler in Tests. The only Indian bowler ahead of Ashwin is Anil Kumble who finished his career with a staggering 619 wickets. Ashwin has also become the oldest cricketer to have played the 100th Test.

    The off-spinner had spent a few seasons at Delhi Capitals (DC) in IPL where he received coaching from Ricky Ponting, the Australia great. Ponting heaped praise on the off-spinner on achieving the landmark of 100 Tests when he spoke to International Cricket Council (ICC).

    Also Read | WATCH: Sachin Tendulkar Gets Out To Big Boss Winner Munawar Faruqui As Stadium Goes Silent During ISPL Match Between Celebrities

    Ponting called Ashwin a master of spin and an incredible cricketer in an interview to ICC. The former Aussie captain said that Ashwin has got many philosophies and theories which he really likes.

    “I had a chance to coach him for a couple of years at Delhi, and loved working with him. He's got a lot of theories and philosophies on the game, which I really like. He's always done things a little bit differently and done things his own way. But he just continued to evolve as a bowler,” said Ponting.

    Ponting mentioned that Ashwin wants to do something different every time and that makes him stand out. He is always looking to get better.

    “That's the thing that I loved about him when I was coaching him, he'd stand at the end of his mark and he'd be working on something different, a little tweak to his action or a change of grip or a different delivery. . He's never been one that was going to die wondering about trying to find ways to get better,” he added.

    Ashwin has picked up 507 Test wickets for India since making his debut in Delhi vs West Indies on November 6, 2011. Ashwin has 35 five-Test wicket hauls and 8 ten-wicket hauls as well. Not to forget that Ashwin has also hit 5 Test centuries for India. If he picks one more five-wicket haul, he will cross the great Anil Kumble as India's most five-for taker in the format.

    Ashwin reached the landmark of 500 Test wickets also in the ongoing series against England. His next target will be the 600 Test mark. Only one Indian has taken more than 600 Test wickets for India, and he is Kumble.

  • IPL 2021: Disappointing way for us to finish the season, says Delhi Capitals coach Ricky Ponting

    By ANI

    NEW DELHI: After suffering a defeat against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the Qualifier 2 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021, Delhi Capitals coach Ricky Ponting on Thursday said it was a disappointing way for his side to finish the season.

    “Thanks all @DelhiCapitals fans for your amazing support. Disappointing way for us to finish the season but it was such a thrill to be a part of as always. Bigger and better next year,” tweeted Ponting.

    Thanks all @DelhiCapitals fans for your amazing support. Disappointing way for us to finish the season but it was such a thrill to be a part of as always. Bigger and better next year.
    — Ricky Ponting AO (@RickyPonting) October 14, 2021
    Earlier, Ponting had said that he would like to retain each and every player of his team for IPL 2022.

    Delhi Capitals’ IPL 2021 campaign ended with a hurtful defeat as Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) got over the line courtesy Rahul Tripathi’s six-off Ashwin in the final over.

    Ponting was disappointed not to win the IPL 2021 title with a “terrific group of people” and said he will try to build the same squad for the next year’s event when the mega auction takes place.

    “I would like to keep everyone, to be honest. We have got this terrific group of people at the Delhi Capitals. The playing staff and the coaches have done an amazing job for the last couple of seasons and I think our performances so to speak for themselves,” said Ponting during the post-match press conference.

  • Qualifier 1, DC vs CSK: Playoffs completely different, our tournament starts now, says Ponting

    By ANI

    DUBAI: Having suffered a dramatic seven-wicket loss against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in their last league stage match, Delhi Capitals will look to bounce back with a win to make a direct entry into the final of IPL 2021 when they take on CSK in Qualifier 1 on Sunday.

    Speaking about the last league stage match, which went down to the wire on Friday, Delhi Capitals head coach Ricky Ponting said that defeat will give the team a chance to reflect and improve ahead of the qualifier against CSK.

    “It was a disappointing way for the game to end, and for us to lose the way we did, but I am not unhappy about it at all. I actually think, it’s a really good thing because it will give the boys a chance to reflect and think about how we can improve for Sunday’s game, and it’s a short turnaround, so you have to forget about things and start focusing on the next game,” said Ponting in Delhi Capitals release.

    He also termed this loss a “step forward”. Ponting reckoned that despite losing, the team played better as compared to the last couple of matches which they won in the league stage.

    “A lot to like about tonight’s game, even though we have lost. I think it’s a step forward. If you look at the last game (against Chennai Super Kings), it wasn’t a great performance, the Mumbai game wasn’t a great performance either, but we still managed to win those games,” said Ponting.

    “If you look at it, we probably have played better tonight than the games we have won, so that’s certainly the way I look at it. It’s not about end results, it’s about the performances we were putting on the board,” he said.

    The Aussie further added, “Prithvi played his best game tonight, Shikhar probably looked his best in the tournament, so there’s a lot to like about this group. As I said earlier, we have played good cricket, the challenge now for us over the next week is to play great cricket, and I think that’s just around the corner for us.”

    Delhi Capitals, who finished the IPL 2021 league stage on the top of the points table, have beaten Chennai Super Kings in both their league matches.

    Speaking about their Qualifiers 1 against MS Dhoni’s men, Ponting said, “I think we should be very confident. We have beaten them twice in the league games, but as you know, the playoff games are completely different, and our tournament really starts now.”

    “It starts when our players get their recovery done from tonight’s (Friday) game, and then we make sure we get ourselves in the right mindset to take on Chennai. They are also a very good side, they have been level pegging with us right throughout the tournament, who’s gonna finish first and who’s gonna second. So, we totally respect them as a playing group, and them as a franchise,” he concluded. 

  • Merely listening to Ricky Ponting’s dressing room speech gives you goosebumps: Avesh Khan

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: When Ricky Ponting speaks, all Avesh Khan does is listen to the former Australian captain with rapt attention.

    The Delhi Capitals fast bowler, who has taken 18 wickets from 11 games, has been in good form during this season and he feels that his head coach inputs on cricket as well as the mental aspect of the game, helped him evolve as a player.

    “It is my fourth year with Ricky sir and I can say that he has been a legendary player and an equally great coach. He talks about the mental aspect of the game. Just listening to him in the dressing room gives me goosebumps. He has an open mind and you can discuss anything you wish with him,” Avesh told PTI Bhasha in an interview.

    His toe-crushing yorkers has earned praise from none other than world’s fastest bowler Anrich Nortje, who wants to understand how he is so consistent with that kind of an effort ball.

    Well, Avesh revealed that his process of fine-tuning blockhole deliveries is no different from other speed merchants who also either keep a shoe or a handkerchief at the front-crease.

    “I always try to practice as much as yorkers at the nets. It is a wicket-taking delivery and one can bring perfection with practice only. I use a bottle or cone or even my shoe for that. When the ball hits the target, it enhances my confidence too,” said the Indore lad, who is enjoying a breakthrough season in IPL.

    “It is very important to land perfect yorkers in pressure situations at it is the only delivery which can save a bowler from getting punished by the batter. I always try to welcome the new batter with a perfectly executed yorker,” he added.

    Happy with his performance in the current IPL season Avesh is aiming to maintain this form to help Delhi Capitals winning their maiden title.

    “It has been a dream-like journey so far. I started playing Cricket as a hobby and was always very passionate about the game. When I used to play with a tennis ball in Indore , I had never thought of coming so far,’ said the former India U-19 pacer, who was in the reserves during the tour of England before a fracture cut short his tour. With Kagiso Rabada, Nortje and Avesh in their armoury, Delhi Capitals have one of the strongest fast bowling attacks in IPL 2021 and all three of them are eager to learn and feed from each other’s success.

    “I have been learning a lot from them. I keep asking them about the pitch, which bowl will work for a particular batter or what to bowl in a particular situation. Our focus remains on working as a unit , not on individual performances,” he said.

    He was first spotted by former cricketer Amay Khurasia , his mentor, at an MPCA trial at the age of 13.

    The Indore quick had been a regular feature in the India A sides.

    His Ranji coach Chandrakant Pandit also helped him to improve and till now he speaks to him before or after every match.

    He also sought advice from Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who has always been an inspiration for small-town boys who have made it big in cricket.

    “Mahi bhai has inspired a lot of youngsters. I also wanted to play under his captaincy. I spoke to him after the match against CSK and he told me many things about the game which I will always follow,” said the pacer who also took Dhoni’s wicket in the previous match and called it ‘ dream wicket’.

  • Rishabh Pant’s level of maturity has gone through roof: Ricky Ponting

    By PTI

    DUBAI: Delhi Capitals coach Ricky Ponting feels his young skipper Rishabh Pant’s level of maturity “has gone through the roof” in the last couple of seasons as he has evolved from a swashbuckling keeper-batsman to a leader of the pack.

    The 23-year-old Pant was given the responsibility to lead Delhi Capitals in the first phase of IPL 2021 after regular captain Shreyas Iyer was ruled out due to a shoulder injury.

    “Rishabh’s level of maturity in the last two seasons has gone through the roof,” Ponting, one of the game’s all-time greats, described the cricketer on Tuesday.

    “When I first came in, he just burst on to the scene. I had said we are going to see the unearthing of someone who is going to play for India for a long time. I could see that coming. I could see how much he wanted to be in every Indian team. It will take a very good player to knock him off that Indian team.”

    Under Pant’s captaincy, DC won six of their eight matches in the first phase of IPL 2021.

    “He has done a terrific job so far (leading DC in IPL). We are all striving for something special. This year we want to go one step further and Rishabh is going to play an intergral part in that.”

    Before the first phase of the league had started in India earlier this year, Ponting had backed Pant as the team’s skipper in the absence of Iyer, stating that the youngster would enjoy the extra responsibility.

    And he did as DC topped the standings with six wins from eight matches before COVID-19 cases in the IPL’s bio-bubble led to a suspension of the event.

    Eager to win their first silverware, Pant said the team needs to give just 10-15 percent more than last season.

    “We are better than last time this year. We have been focussing on the process for two-three years. We don’t have to do too many things differently from last year. We can do the same things and give 10-15 percent extra,” Pant said on the eve of their opening game against Sunrisers Hyderabad.

    With the presence of people like Marcus Stoinis and Shimron Hetmyer in the team, besides Pant, the Australian legend has a lot of confidence in his middle-order.

    “Stoinis has had actually a really big impact on us. He has the talent to be a great all-rounder in world cricket, especially in white ball formats. We have got a lot of finishing power there with Hetmyer, Stoinis and Pant. It makes our batting lineup really strong and really deep.”

    Ponting is delighted to have Shreyas back in the squad, lending additional firepower to the batting lineup.

    “I am delighted to have him back in the team. He has been an exceptional player for Delhi, a world-class player. It does make our team look a little more complete.”

    He said the inclusion of Shreyas in the playing XI will not disturb their bowling combination that has two highly effective South African pacers in Kagiso Rabada and Andre Nortje.

    Ponting said the vibe and atmosphere around his group is good going into their first game in the second phase of the league.

    DC have plenty of senior players in their ranks including Steve Smith, Ajinkya Rahane and Ravichandran Ashwin, and some of them often miss out on game time, but the head coach said managing them has never been an issue as he treats everyone equally.

    “I manage everyone the same way, everyone is on the same page in our team. We treat each other equally, that’s certainly the way we try to go about. We have a good mix of youth and experience. We also do rely on our senior players as, at the end of the day, Rishabh is not always going to be right. So we bring everybody along the journey.”

    Pant said the team’s performance in the first half is good from the psychological point of view but they don’t talk about what happened a few months ago.

    “That performance in the first half counts obviously but we just want to focus one match at a time. We don’t discuss that as a team and focus on our process. As a player, I don’t think too much. I try to make most of the opportunities I get, move on, and keep learning every day.”

    Asked about his biggest learning from his predecessor in the Indian team, the legendary Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Pant said, “Focus on the process and results will follow.”

    When asked about his leadership, he said, “I just try to keep the environment light. Anyone can discuss anything with me or Ricky. The combination of youth and experience helps us to go forward. I have learned from Ricky that everyone should be treated equally in the team – players and also the support staff. Only then special things happen and as a skipper, that’s the only thing you want.”

    About Wednesday’s opponents, Ponting observed that SRH are not a high-scoring side but “they back their defensive side of the game” and are always up for a scrap. We feel like we are well prepared. I am very confident that our boys will get the job done.”

  • With Ricky Ponting around, my captaincy is going great: Delhi Capitals skipper Rishabh Pant

    By ANI
    CHENNAI: After registering a six-wicket win over Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League (IPL), Delhi Capitals skipper Rishabh Pant gave an insight into his leadership style and how he has benefitted from having Ricky Ponting as the head coach.

    Leg-spinner Amit Mishra spun a web over Mumbai Indians before Shikhar Dhawan and Steve Smith played knocks of 45 and 33 respectively as Delhi Capitals registered a win here at the MA Chidambaram Stadium on Tuesday. Mishra had picked four wickets to help Delhi Capitals restrict Mumbai Indians to 137/9.

    “I think, yes, as a wicketkeeper I keep on reading the game and it helps me a lot. With seniors around and Ricky Ponting in our management, I think my captaincy is going great,” said Rishabh while replying to an ANI query during a virtual press conference.

    Delhi played its first three games in Mumbai and then the side has moved to Chennai to play its next set of matches. When asked about the difficulty of travelling in such times, Pant said: “I think it’s slightly challenging because of Covid. But as a team, we are not focusing on outside things. BCCI has done really well to give us a good bubble and travelling thing. We are focusing more on cricket.”

    Delhi Capitals needed 15 runs in the last two overs and Shimron Hetmyer and Lalit Yadav ensured the side didn’t falter at the end. Moreover, Jasprit Bumrah’s two no-balls in the penultimate over made the job a lot easier for the batsmen.

    “As a player, you do not focus much on match-ups. Every day is a new day, I had to go for my shots because we were chasing, so you need to focus more on scenarios as compared to matchups,” said Pant.

    “We were thinking to bat first also so I do not think Rohit’s decision to bat first was a bad one,” he added.

    Mumbai Indians were cruising towards a mammoth total having scored 55 runs in the first six overs against Delhi but Mishra wreaked havoc and dismantled the batting order removing Rohit Sharma, Kieron Pollard, Hardik Pandya, and Ishan Kishan.

  • Ishant Sharma suffering from heel niggle: Ricky Ponting

    By PTI
    MUMBAI: Delhi Capitals head coach Ricky Ponting has revealed that experienced fast bowler Ishant Sharma, who missed his team’s first two IPL matches, is suffering from a heel niggle.

    The 32-year-old, who was retained by Delhi ahead of the IPL auction, missed the games against Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals, which paved the way for 24-year-old pacer Avesh Khan’s selection in the team.

    “Coming into the first game, Ishant Sharma obviously had a heel niggle that we have been trying to work through,” Ponting said during a virtual press-conference after DC’s three-wicket loss against Rajasthan Royals here on Thursday night.

    Sharma had suffered an abdominal muscle tear during his only match for DC in the last edition.

    He was ruled out of the rest of that IPL in UAE and also the ensuing Test series against Australia.

    After recovering, Sharma made a successful comeback in the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 tournament, taking five wickets.

    He also played the four Tests against England, capturing six wickets.

    With Sharma missing out, Avesh provided Delhi Capitals the early breakthroughs, claiming five wickets in the last two games and Ponting was “ultra” impressed with him.

    “He has grabbed his opportunities with both hands. He has been around this franchise for few years now but hasn’t got the opportunities that he has been craving for.

    “…if you have an Indian fast bowler like him and then you have the likes of (Chris) Woakes, (Anrich) Nortje, (Kagiso) Rabada, and (Tom) Curran and those guys around then we end up with a real strong fast bowling brigade.”

  • Rishabh Pant is like Virat Kohli and Kane Williamson, brilliant bloke to have in your team: Delhi Capitals coach Ricky Ponting

    Rishabh Pant was given the charge of Delhi Capitals as regular skipper Shreyas Iyer was ruled out of IPL 2021 due to a shoulder injury.

  • Speak to Ricky Ponting about tactics and strategies as a batsman: Delhi Capitals star Prithvi Shaw

    By ANI
    MUMBAI: Delhi Capitals got off to a fantastic start in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 with a seven-wicket win over the Chennai Super Kings here at the Wankhede Stadium on Saturday. Opening batsman Prithvi Shaw was in the thick of things as he blasted his way to 38-ball 72-run innings, helping his team chase down a target of 189 runs with 8 balls to spare.

    “Very happy with the way I batted. Everyone executed whatever we practiced in the last few days. It was brilliant to see everyone contributing to the team. The opening stand which we got was very crucial for us. Chasing 190 odd is not easy without a good start. It was a great win for us; however, I should have stayed in the middle until the end. So, if I have to rate my innings out of 10, I will give an 8 to myself,” Shaw said in the Delhi Capitals release.

    The 21-year-old, who scored a whopping 827 runs in 8 matches in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, spoke about how he got back into form before the IPL 2021.

    “I made some small changes in my batting before the IPL. I just wanted to minimise all the mistakes I was making, and I worked hard. I practiced for two weeks with Strength and Conditioning Coach Rajinikanth Sivagnanam sir and Pravin Amre sir before the Vijay Hazare Trophy. Then I just played my natural game with a few changes in the Vijay Hazare Trophy.”

    The opening batsman expressed that he worked out his technical errors with Rajinikanth Sivagnanam and Pravin Amre and speaks to the head coach Ricky Ponting more about tactics as a batsman.

    “With Ricky, I generally speak to him about tactics and strategies as a batsman. He has played so much of cricket and he has got the experience which he can share with us and he does especially with the youngsters. I am really enjoying working with him,” Shaw said.

    When asked about the newly appointed skipper Rishabh Pant’s captaincy, he said, “We really miss Shreyas Iyer, and he led the team very well. However, Rishabh Pant is very smart. He is fearless and enjoys the game. He’s very entertaining on the field and is very cool and calm as a Captain. He’s doing a fantastic job for the team.”

    Shaw, who was very happy with the team’s performance in their first match of the season, had a special message for the Delhi Capitals fans.

    “All the fans have given us so much of love. The fans were still caring for me even when I wasn’t doing well before the Vijay Hazare Trophy so I would like to thank everyone and ask them to keep supporting me and the Delhi team for this IPL,” he said.

    Delhi Capitals will next take on Rajasthan Royals here at the Wankhede Stadium on April 15.

  • Delhi Capitals head coach Ricky Ponting recalls Prithvi Shaw’s ‘interesting’ training habits

    By PTI
    MUMBAI: Delhi Capitals head coach Ricky Ponting has revealed that Prithvi Shaw refused to bat in the nets when he hit a bad patch in the last IPL and hoped that the highly-rated Indian youngster has changed his training habits “for the better” ahead of the upcoming edition.

    The former Australian skipper has been working with the 21-year-old for the past two seasons in the Delhi Capitals camp.

    He recalled how Shaw simply refused to pad up for nets when after scoring two fifties last season, he was hit by a slump.

    “…he had an interesting theory on his batting last year – when he’s not scoring runs, he won’t bat, and when he is scoring runs, he wants to keep batting all the time,” Ponting told ‘cricket.com.au’ as his side geared for the event starting April 9 in Chennai.

    “He had four or five games where he made under 10 and I’m telling him, ‘We have to go to the nets and work out (what’s wrong)’, and he looked me in the eye and said, ‘No, I’m not batting today’. I couldn’t really work that out.”

    “He might have changed. I know he’s done a lot of work over the last few months, that theory that he had might have changed, and hopefully, it has, because if we can get the best out of him, he could be a superstar player”.

    Ponting joined the DC squad on March 29 and just completed his week-long quarantine required to enter the IPL bio-bubble.

    Ponting said he did not hold back from giving a piece of his mind to the youngster last year but he “stuck to his word” and did not practice towards the business end of the tournament.

    “I was going pretty hard at him. I was basically telling him, ‘Mate you’ve got to get in the nets. Whatever you think you’re working on, is not working for you’,” he remembered telling him.

    “It’s my job as a coach to challenge someone’s preparation if they’re not getting results.”

    “So I challenged him and he stuck to his word and he didn’t practice much at all towards the back-end of the tournament, and didn’t get many runs towards the back-end of the tournament either.”

    However, Ponting is confident that Shaw will make it big internationally.

    “Maybe (his training habits) have changed for the better, because (his success) won’t just be for the Delhi Capitals, I’m sure you’ll see him play a lot of cricket for India as well in the coming years,” said Ponting.

    Ponting said there are visible similarities between Shaw and the great Sachin Tendulkar, right down to their diminutive frames.

    “He’s diminutive in the (Sachin) Tendulkar sort of mould but hits the ball incredibly powerfully off front and back foot, and plays spin really well,” he said.

    Shaw heads to the IPL on the back of a sensational Vijay Hazare Trophy campaign with champions Mumbai.

    Leading the side to victory, he scored four centuries and ended the tournament as the top scorer.

    “If we can get him to take that form that he’s just shown into the IPL, it just makes the balance on our Delhi Capital side so good.

    “If (the penny) does drop – I’m not sure I’ve seen many more talented players than him in my whole time of playing the game,” Ponting said.