Smith approachable, brings intensity on the field: Agarwal
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.
SMOOTH START
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.
CONFIDENCE BOOSTER
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, we will give 100 %. We would like to implement our game plan. The result is not in our hand.”
BIG SHOW
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