Smith approachable, brings intensity on the field: Agarwal
He is very understanding and approachable as a captain. We go up to him if we have a suggestion and he listens to it. He brings intensity on the field. He has got a lot of experience and that helps.
No captain in the 2017 Indian Premier League (IPL) has been discussed more than Steve Smith, primarily because he replaced India’s and IPL’s most successful skipper, MS Dhoni.
Smith scored a match-winning 54-ball 84 for Rising Pune Supergiant (RPS) against Mumbai Indians to begin his IPL captaincy stint in a magnificent way.
Though Dhoni still remains the inspirational figure in the RPS squad, Smith’s easy nature has gone down well with his teammates.
“He is very understanding and approachable as a captain. We go up to him if we have a suggestion and he listens to it. He brings intensity on the field. He has got a lot of experience and that helps us,” said Mayank Agarwal, RPS opener.
RPS’ great start at home will be a confidence booster for the team as they hit the road for a match against Kings XI Punjab on Saturday.
“It’s good to make a winning start. The team has gained confidence and the momentum will be with us,” he added.
And for inspiration, RPS players don’t have to look too far. “He (Dhoni) is always inspirational. He is very nice to have in the dressing room. We get to learn a lot from him as youngsters,” Agarwal said.
“Against Kings XI Punjab, we will give 100 %. We would like to implement our game plan. The result is not in our hand.”
As Kings XI Punjab captain, Glenn Maxwell is probably sitting on the most cursed throne in IPL. The last season saw his team change the captain midway and this time it has again appointed a new captain in the Australian.
Ahead of their first game of the 2017 season against Rising Pune Supergiants, Maxwell said: “This time we have worked really hard. The core group of players is the same. Last season we lost the close matches and we need to turn it around this time.”
Asked about his team’s opening game against Rising Pune Supergiant, Maxwell gave a cheeky reply on his counterpart Steve Smith: “He is due for a failure isn’t he. He has been doing great and the RPS have started on a strong note. But we should focus on our strength and we are confident that our gameplan will work.”