"He's like the boss of the team" - DC opener Prithvi Shaw on working under coach Ricky Ponting in the IPL
Delhi Capitals (DC) opener Prithvi Shaw has hailed head coach Ricky Ponting for his contribution to the franchise, terming him as a boss who sets targets.
The Aussie legend has been the head coach of the franchise since the 2018 season. Under his guidance, Delhi finished runners-up in 2020 and topped the league stage last season although they failed to reach the final.
DC have had a mixed start to their IPL 2022 campaign. After defeating the Mumbai Indians (MI) by four wickets, they went down to the Gujarat Titans (GT) by 14 runs. Delhi are taking on the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in their third match on Thursday.
Speaking ahead of the game, Shaw opened up about Ponting’s influence on him and the IPL team. In an interview uploaded to IPLT20.COM, he said:
“Since 2018, he has been coaching the Delhi Capitals. He’s like the boss of the team. He sets up a target among the players and he has got 15-20 years of experience in international cricket. He shares his experience - how he used to play, how he used to captain. We question him a lot as youngsters and he gives us feedback, which means a lot. It’s going well and I am enjoying playing under him.”
On a personal front, Shaw has not had a great start to IPL 2022. He was dismissed for 38 against Mumbai and fell for 10 against Gujarat. Admitting that his performances have not been up to the mark, the young opener asserted that he has been timing the ball well. He said:
“Obviously not happy with the performance but I am striking the ball well. It’s is just a matter of one innings, might get some runs. The process is going quite well in the nets as well.”
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The 22-year-old had an impressive IPL 2021 season, hammering 479 runs in 15 matches at a strike rate of 159.13.
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“The powerplay is very crucial for us” – Prithvi Shaw on areas DC need to improve on
Delhi have shown glimpses of good form in the two matches so far but their overall performance has not been convincing. Conceding that the team has not been at its best, Shaw pointed out that the powerplay is one area Delhi need to significantly improve upon. He said:
“The powerplay is very crucial for us. In the last two games, we lost too many wickets in the powerplay itself. The lower-order batters are doing quite well, we just have to brush up things up the order. The bowlers are doing a fantastic job. In both the matches, they have restricted batsmen. The line and length they are bowling has been exceptional. We need to really set ourselves up in the powerplay.”
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Delhi were 46 for 3 in the powerplay in their first match against Mumbai and 43 for 3 in their second game against Gujarat.