Harpal Singh Bedi / New Delhi
Delhi Capitals head coach Ricky Ponting on Thursday exuded confidence of his team performing consistently well in the remaining matches of IPL 2019.
With three wins and three losses in their first six matches, Delhi Capitals, have been tentative so far but Ponting maintained that his team is in the right frame of mind to perform in the upcoming matches.
He expressed this optimise ahead of Delhi Capitals match against the Kolkata Knight Riders at the Eden Gardens on Friday.
The two teams have faced each other on 24 occasions, with Kolkata Knight Riders having won 13 matches while Delhi registered their 10th win over the home side when they won the match in Super Over earlier in the season in New Delhi. One match between the two teams has ended in a No-Result.
Ponting was of the view that the win in Delhi will help his side tomorrow as well. He said, “When you’re playing a team twice in a tournament, it’s always nice to win the first game against them. We understand that they are a very, very good team and we know that they rely on couple of their stars to get them over the line more often than not.
“So we need to make sure that those players don’t get away from us tomorrow. Andre Russell has been outstanding, so we need to be on our toes and especially in his case because he took the game away from us last time in Delhi as well. We are coming off a win. We will go into tomorrow’s game in the right frame of mind and with confidence of giving tough competition to the home side, and winning.”
To a query whether Delhi Capitals is a team led completely by young captain Shreyas Iyer, or whether the senior players and coaching staff play a major role in building the team, Ricky said, “It is actually both. It is 100% Shreyas Iyer’s team, he is the captain of our team. And as we know with captains of any team, once the game starts, the captain is also the coach. So it is my job and the rest of the coaches’ job that we make sure that we are making his job as easy as possible. He is a terrific, determined young man. He is developing his leadership very well. He has been here for a very short time as captain, but he has captained Mumbai this year, and India A as well. It is definitely a high-pressure job and environment but I am very happy with the way he has taken the responsibility
He was asked about the batting collapses that the Capitals have faced this season. “I am not really worried about the collapses if it means that we secure the win early. But the defeat to Kings XI was something that I am definitely worried about. But the thing that I did not mind about the RCB game was that the boys were looking to finish the match early and taking the challenge on.
About Kagiso Rabada’s performances this season, Ponting said, “Kagiso is an extremely determined man. He is bowling well, and is still the leading wicket-taker which is something we are very proud of. He bowled beautifully in Bengaluru as well, and that Super Over against KKR in Delhi was exceptional. Look, his performances prove exactly why the owners pay the huge money for the overseas’ players, and he has been able to prove his worth yet again. I am really happy with how he has bowled over the course of the tournament so far.”