Mumbai: Delhi Capitals head coach Ricky Ponting believes that newly-appointed captain Rishabh Pant understands the game very well and the extra responsibility will be a motivating factor for the wicketkeeper-batsman for the IPL.
Pant was named the skipper after regular captain Shreyas Iyer was ruled out due to injury. “I think extra responsibility is going to sit really well with him. He’s that sort of a person that likes the responsibility, wants to be the main man and wants to be the leader, so I am really excited to see how he goes. We’ll help him through, but honestly, I don’t think he’s going to need much help at all,” said Ponting.
The former Australian Captain added that it will be part of the coaching staff and the senior players’ job to support Pant in any way they can. “I think if we can get most of the talking with Rishabh about his captaincy done, leading into the first game then we don’t have to worry about it as the tournament starts,” he added.
He further stressed, “The last thing you want is to be overloading the Captain with all sorts of information once the tournament is underway. It’s a big part of my job, and other coaches and senior players’ job to get behind Rishabh and help him where they need to. Not only during training, but during matches as well.”
The 46-year-old further expressed that Pant’s performances in the last few months have been nothing short of breathtaking, “I have known how talented Rishabh is since the moment I laid eyes on him. When he got back into the Test squad in Australia, I actually made a comment before a ball was bowled in the second Test match that this will be the unearthing of a 15-year Test player for India.
“I think he’s on track for doing that. His cricket in the last six-seven months has been nothing short of breathtaking and outstanding,” Ponting said. Delhi will open their campaign against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) on April 10.
