Ricky Ponting
Ricky Ponting. Image-Twitter

Former Australia captain and Delhi Capitals head coach, Ricky Ponting speaks of the newly appointed captain Rishabh Pant. The left-hander was put at the helm of the Capitals side after regular skipper, Shreyas Iyer, was ruled out of IPL 2021 due to a shoulder injury he sustained during the ODI series against England.

Iyer led Delhi to its first-ever IPL final last season but lost to a rampant Mumbai Indians side. Rishabh Pant, who has become a global superstar, with match-winning performances against Australia and England, will lead the Delhi outfit in IPL 2021 in the hunt for their maiden title.

Ricky Ponting said that he and Pant have talked and will continue to do so about the team and their planning. The coach also expects senior players in the squad to help and guide the 23-year-old who was chosen as the captain ahead of the likes of Ajinkya Rahane, Steve Smith, and R Ashwin.

Rishabh Pant, Ricky Ponting
Ricky Ponting and Rishabh Pant of Delhi Capitals (Photo- Twitter)

“We’ve had a few chats over the last few days and we’ll have more of them in the next few weeks. I think if we can get most of the talking done with Rishabh about his captaincy leading into the first game, then we don’t have to worry about it as the tournament starts,” Ricky Ponting said in a video uploaded by the franchise.

“So the last thing you want is to be overloading the captain with all sorts of information once the tournament in underway. It’s a big part of my job, it’s a big part of the other coaches’ jobs but also the senior players, I think it’s a big part and a big role for them as well to get behind him and help him where they need to, not only at training but also, you know once the game starts he is going to need a little support,” he added.

Pant is very strong in his own thoughts and opinions: Ricky Ponting

The 46-year-old opines that Pant likes to take the extra responsibility and will revel in his new role as the skipper of the side, which is one of the key reasons he was made assigned this position. The Aussie reckons Pant is an astute cricketer and is staunch on his beliefs and thoughts. Capitals commence their campaign in a marquee clash against Chennai Super Kings on April 10th in Mumbai. 

Rishabh Pant, IPL 2021
Rishabh Pant for Delhi Capitals (Photo- Twitter)

“But what I know about Rishabh, is that he understands the game really well, he is very strong in his own thoughts and opinions. I think that will hold him in great stead as far as captaincy is concerned.

“And the other reason we made him captain is, I think extra responsibility is going to sit really well with him. I think he is that sort of person that like the responsibility. He wants to be the main man, wants to be the leader. So I’m really excited to see how he is going to go with it,” the World Cup-winning skipper asserted.

Also Read: When He’s Not Scoring Runs, He Won’t Bat In The Nets – Ricky Ponting Reveals Prithvi Shaw’s ‘Interesting Theory’ During Last Season

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