Delhi Capitals coach Ricky Ponting heaped praises on captain Rishabh Pant ahead of their clash against the Sunrisers Hyderabad scheduled on 22 September, Wednesday. Pant was awarded the captaincy hat for the current edition of the Indian Premier League when Shreyas Iyer injured his shoulder against England and under his leadership, the Capitals finished at the top of the table in the first leg of the Indian Premier League.
Ponting spoke highly of the youngster and stated that it will be very tough for anyone to knock him off the current Indian team.
“Rishabh’s level of maturity in the last two seasons has gone through the roof,” Ponting told The Cricketer.
“When I first came in, he just burst on to the scene. I had said we are going to see the unearthing of someone who is going to play for India for a long time. I could see that coming. I could see how much he wanted to be in every Indian team,” he further added.
The legendary Australian also spoke on Delhi’s combination, now that Iyer is once again back into the scheme of things and stated that his inclusion does not disturb the balance of the team.
“I am delighted to have him back in the team. He has been an exceptional player for Delhi, a world-class player. It does make our team look a little more complete.”
Delhi are in the hunt for their first IPL trophy. They missed out narrowly in the last edition after being beaten by Mumbai Indians in the final game under the captaincy of Shreyas Iyer.
Delhi Capitals have a packed team with the likes of Shimron Hetmyer, Marcus Stoinis, Kagiso Rabada and Anrich Nortje in their side. They will further be aided by the services of Steve Smith, Ravichandran Ashwin and Shikhar Dhawan, stars who have changed the complexion of world cricket in the last decade.