Pant wants to get a bit of trust back in his body again, says Ricky Ponting
‘He has been putting himself through a few different paces and playing all the shots that he plays. More importantly, he has got a smile on his face’
Delhi Capitals’ head coach Ricky Ponting and director of cricket Sourav Ganguly shared some insights on team skipper Rishabh Pant’s readiness ahead of the Indian Premier League beginning on Friday.
“He has probably batted more in the last week than he has ever batted leading into most of the IPLs. I think from his point of view, he wants to get a bit of trust back in his body again,” said the Australian great about Pant’s approach at the preseason camp.
“He has been putting himself through a few different paces and playing all the shots that he plays. He has been great, and more importantly, he has got a smile on his face, which is what all we love to see.”
Welcome improvements
“I’m surprised with the improvements he has made. Hopefully, it’s a good season for him because he has gone through a lot emotionally. It’s never easy when you go through that sort of injury. It will be great to see him back not just for the Delhi Capitals, but for the Delhi Ranji team and for India as well because he is a special talent, a special player,” said Ganguly.
Speaking about Pant’s qualities as captain, Ponting said “we all love his infectious attitude and smile around the group. Although he is still young in age, he has actually played a lot of cricket. He sets an example, he has a lot of energy and that’s why other people tend to follow.”
Former India Captain Ganguly said he would Pant’s captaincy closely. “He is not the conservative type of batter, so you expect that character in his captaincy. Nobody comes as a readymade captain. You learn as you go and I think captaincy is by instinct. I’m looking forward to watching him during the tournament.”
Capitals take on Punjab Kings in their first match of IPL 2024 in Chandigarh on March 23.