It was frustrating, I think I broke three or four remote controls: Ricky Ponting

Delhi Capitals (DC) head coach Ricky Ponting isn't fretting over the fact that his side has won just three of their first seven games so far in the Indian Premier League (IPL) this season as he believes that all his team needs is a 'bit of momentum' to turn around their fortunes.

The Capitals have had a stop-start campaign thus far, and the proliferation of Covid in their camp has made things even worse for them in recent weeks.

Apart from a couple of players and support staff members, coach Ponting's family members have also tested positive for the deadly contagion.

But despite all this, the Rishabh Pant-led unit has shown immense mental strength, and despite a few results not going their way, they have shown enough evidence of being a world-class team.

According to Ponting, his side is too good for the results not to change.

The former IPL-winning coach has asked his players not to push hard in the first half of the season and gradually build the momentum before hitting a peak at the business stage.

Reflecting on the first half of the season ahead of DC's fixture against the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), Ponting said:

"I've said it a few times this year where there are 36 or 37 overs of really good stuff, and we just let it slip for two or three overs." 

"And, that's the difference in these games. We sort of gear ourselves to not overtrain in the first part of the season, try and build up along the way. But our performances have been win one, lose one, win one. So, we need to start getting that little bit of momentum," he said.

"I know we're so close to turning it all around. We've all got to trust. We've got to believe, we've got to stay upbeat and positive. And if we are, things will definitely change for us," he added.

"The harder we try from here, the harder it's going to get. We're just going to stay nice and relax and keep repeating things we've been doing. And then results will definitely come our way. We are too good a team for the results not to change."

"I feel pretty relieved to be back outside again, actually after another five days locked in and obviously missing the game," the former Australian cricketer added.

Ponting was in five-day isolation during Delhi's last game against Rajasthan after one of his family members tested positive.

Sharing his experience of watching the game from his hotel room, he said:

"Things didn't go well in the game, and we had a drama at the end. But it's nice to be back outside again. It was frustrating. I think I broke three or four remote controls, and a few bottles of water might have got thrown into the walls and things like that (laughs)."

"When you're on the sidelines, being a coach, and you can't control what's happening out in the middle, that's hard enough, but when you're not actually at the ground, it can get a little more frustrating. There's no doubt we've had it tougher than the other teams so far," he said on the Covid cases in the Delhi Capitals bio-bubble last week.

"Hopefully, we throw that COVID stuff now and are on the other side. And it's probably a really good definitive cut-off point - the halftime of the season. We can reassess and readjust and get on with, hopefully, dominating the second half of this tournament."

With the game going down the wire and ending controversially, it was natural that Ponting was pretty frustrated at not being able to call the shots. Delhi will take on Kolkata at the Wankhede Stadium on April 28.