Indian left spinner Axar Patel played a crucial role in Delhi Capitals' win over the Punjab Kings last night in the Indian Premier League. However, Patel opined that head coach Ricky Ponting's pep talk inspired the Delhi outfit to put in a superb show on the field.
The match that was moved to the Brabourne Stadium got the green light moments before the start of the game after DC's Tim Seifert tested positive on Wednesday morning.
The covid hit Delhi camp bowled first and restricted Punjab Kings to a low score of 115. Axar took two crucial wickets of Liam Livingstone and Jitesh Sharma, contributing to the emphatic bowling performance. It was also an easy run-chase for them, with David Warner once hitting an unbeaten half-century.
Axar Patel explained in his interview that their Aussie head coach detailed the two options they had before the match.
"We were quarantined, and we started practice two-three days after that. He (Ponting) told us we have two options. First, we have to play the match. You can think that there are positive cases, and the preparations aren't done.
"Or you can think all outside things are not in our hands, and you should show commitment with regard to the effort and preparation.
He also said that their planning was based upon what Ponting said.
"We were focusing on our game (and) we did our planning (accordingly). So that's it, that was the speech, and that was our mindset."
The Capitals next play the Rajasthan Royals tomorrow at the Wankhede Stadium and will look to capitalise on this momentum.