"I was trying to slow him down a little bit" - Ricky Ponting recalls his experience batting with Brendon McCullum in IPL 2008 opener
Delhi Capitals (DC) coach Ricky Ponting has reminisced his experiences from the inaugural edition of the IPL in 2008. Ponting, part of Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) that year, revealed his mindset when batting with Brendon McCullum in the tournament opener against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB).
McCullum grabbed the spotlight as the KKR opener took the RCB bowlers to the cleaners in the tournament's first-ever game. The right-handed batter hammered an unbeaten 73-ball 158, laced with ten fours and 13 sixes. It propelled his side to a mammoth total of 222 as Kolkata coasted to victory by 140 runs.
It's been 15 years since Talent met Opportunity💙
To celebrate the inception of the #IPL, we caught up with some special people to reminisce the inaugural 2008 season with us 🤩
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#TATAIPL | #DelhiCapitals | @RickyPonting @ShaneRWatson33 @imAagarkar https://t.co/3O14U4CWUM
Ponting recollected that game, saying how McCullum got the Knight Riders off to a blazing start. The former Australian captain recalled how he tried to slow down his batting partner, but the Kiwi batter kept going hammer and tongs.
Ponting told Delhi Capitals in an interview uploaded by the franchise on Twitter:
"We didn't really know about the tempo of the game or what the score was going to be. Brendon was opening the batting, and I was batting at three and got off to an unbelievable start. It seemed like everything he hit had just flew off the bat. I was trying to slow him down a little bit, and he was going harder and harder and ended up playing an incredible innings. What better than seeing the first game of the tournament than someone going out there and getting 158."
The Tasmanian also recalled how threatening Ashok Dinda appeared in the nets and thrived when given an opportunity in the tournament opener. Ponting hailed the IPL for providing a platform for Indian youngsters and and overseas players alike. He added:
"Ashok Dinda was a net bowler for us at Kolkata, and for 7-10 days, he literally ran in and bowled bouncers at all of us for every session. I thought there is something about this guy. Let's give him a contract, and he ended up getting one. I think he took maybe the first three wickets as well of the IPL, and that was the start of what ended up being the 12 or 13-year career for Ashok Dinda in the IPL."
Ponting continued:
"So, these are some of the great stories that the IPL has sort of given to young Indian players and certainly, IPL has made the lives of lots of overseas players as well."
Ponting didn't last long at the crease that day, making a run-a-ball 20 and adding 51 runs with McCullum. Meanwhile, Dinda got rid of Wasim Jaffer and Virat Kohli, bagging figures of 3-0-9-2.
James Hopes narrates his experience of watching IPL 2008 opener
Kings XI Punjab IPL 2008 ❤️ https://t.co/kqx6bs9zE2
Meanwhile, all-rounder James Hopes said that he flew with his Australian teammates Luke Pomersbach and Shaun Marsh to join Kings XI Punjab for the IPL 2008 season. In this regard, the 43-year old said:
"I remember I flew with Shaun Marsh and Luke Pomersbach. We flew in together, and Tom Moody was our coach, and Yuvraj Singh was our captain. We got together the first night to watch Kolkata playing, and Baz got a 150, and the crowd was hooked. The next day, we had the afternoon game, and there were people lining in the streets as we were driven in the bus to the stadium. That's when we knew this might be quite large."
Kings XI Punjab performed well in the tournament's inaugural edition 2008, reaching the semi-finals, where they lost to eventual finalists Chennai Super Kings.