Delhi Capitals head coach Ricky Ponting feels Rishabh Pant is still a work-in-progress as far as captaincy is concerned.
DC was knocked out of the Tata IPL 2022 after they suffered a five-wicket loss against Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai on Saturday.
Pant’s captaincy once again came under the scanner as the wicket-keeper batter decided not to take the review when Tim David got an outside edge on the first ball he faced. There was a clear noise but Pant decided to not go for the review despite having two reviews in the bank.
It turned out to be a match-changing moment as David went on to score a blistering knock of 34 runs off just 11 balls, which was the difference between the two teams. In fact, on many occasions throughout the season, Pant didn’t complete Kuldeep Yadav’s quota of four overs despite the wrist-spinner bowling at the top of his game.
Ponting feels it is not easy to lead a team in the IPL as it is a high-pressure tournament.
“Absolutely, no doubt in my mind that Rishabh even in the last season he was the right choice for captain. Rishabh did a terrific job with the team after he took over from Shreyas (Iyer) after he injured his shoulders,” Ponting said during the press conference.
“He is just a young man and still learning captaincy. Being captain of a T20 team, especially in IPL, which is a high-pressure tournament, is not an easy thing to do and unfortunately, every single thing you do will be scrutinized. He certainly got my full backing,” Ponting added.
Ponting added that Pant has a good head on his shoulders and he will definitely learn as a captain after such fumbles.
“He can take a lot of learning and try and keep things simple, he has a great mind, he reads the game well from behind, and such fumbles can happen and it is important to not doubt yourself. He will come back strong,” Ponting said.
Meanwhile, DC’s season was hampered by Covid-19 and injuries to their crucial players. Furthermore, Prithvi Shaw could not play due to Typhoid.
“We’ve had quite an interrupted season with Covid and injuries and other illnesses. It’s been one of those up and down seasons, an inconsistent season,” the coach said.
DC finished the season with seven wins from 14 league stage matches and they were not consistent enough.
