Ricky Ponting Told Me To Not Waste The Opportunity I Was Given: Avesh Khan

Delhi Capitals pacer Avesh Khan turned out to be one of the biggest finds in the recently suspended season of the Indian Premier League.

Having played just one game last season, Avesh Khan made the most of the opportunities that he got in the absence of Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje, and Ishant Sharma during the initial part of the season and ended up playing every game that Delhi Capitals played before the tournament got postponed.

In 8 games, Avesh Khan picked up as many as 14 wickets-the second-most in the season- and his economy rate of 7.70 was the lowest among the leading wicket-takers in the competition.

Recently, Avesh Khan gave an interview to the Scroll where he revealed the advice that head coach Ricky Ponting used to give him.

Khan revealed that Ponting had asked him not to waste the opportunities and focus on one game at a time rather than the entire tournament.

The right-handed pacer added that Ponting used to sit with him and discuss various plans and the possible ways in which the youngster could possibly improve.

“He told me to not waste the opportunity I was given. Before and after every game, he would sit with me and discuss plans and ways to improve. He wanted me to simply focus on the next game and not look at the tournament as a whole. The shorter my goals were, the more likely I was to achieve them. He encouraged me to back my strengths and follow my instincts,” said Avesh Khan.

Avesh Khan has been rewarded for his exploits in the IPL as he was named as one of the standby players for the upcoming England tour.

The right-hander believes that there is still a lot of improvement and that is exactly what he is focused on.

“Things are going well at the moment but there’s always scope for improvement. You can never be perfect but what you can do is keep honing your skills and try to execute your plans during practice. And that’s exactly what I intend to focus on. At the moment, though, I’m not playing any cricket. Just working on my fitness and spending time with family. The BCCI has asked us to not step outside. The England tour is going to be long so I’m enjoying this time with my parents,” he added.

Also Read: Former Saurashtra Cricketer And BCCI Referee Rajendrasinh Jadeja Succumbs To COVID-19