This time, DC are at ninth place and have just a win over Chennai Super Kings to show. Ahead of their clash against Mumbai Indians on Sunday afternoon, Ponting\u2019s former Australia team-mate Shane Watson, who worked as DC\u2019s assistant coach in 2022 and 2023 season, admitted that it has been a challenging time for Ponting in the last few years, but backed him to force a turnaround in his side\u2019s fortunes.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cIt has been a couple of challenging years for Ricky Ponting at Delhi Capitals, for sure. But I am not sure if it will be his last year there. There is one thing which I know from a coaching perspective is, if your team doesn\u2019t do well over a couple of years, then head coach will be the first person to be moved from the role. Ricky has had success in the start of his time with the Delhi Capitals, but it has been a more challenging time over the last couple of years.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cBut it is only the start of the tournament. The Delhi Capitals played amazingly well against CSK. They played as good a game of cricket as they possibly can, for me. The biggest challenge is for the Delhi Capitals to be able to repeat that consistently throughout this tournament.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\"There's no reason why they can't, and Ricky Ponting is one of the best leaders, and he certainly was the best leader in and around Australian cricket that I was involved in. He enhanced my cricket through the times that he captained me for a big part of my career. He\u2019s been an inspirational leader and has been very much like that at the Delhi Capitals.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cBut at the end, he can\u2019t bat or bowl for the Delhi Capitals players. When the team isn\u2019t winning, then the head coach is the first person to come under the microscope. I know he will leave no stone unturned to get the best out of Delhi Capitals players and hopefully they work their way up in the table,\" said Watson, an IPL expert with broadcasters JioCinema, in a select virtual media interaction.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
On the other hand, MI also have their own issues to face ahead of their clash against DC. The five-time champions have been winless due to not clicking as a unit and making eyebrow-raising tactical errors.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Moreover, captain Hardik Pandya has been viciously booed and jeered by crowds in all three games so far. Watson advised him to block out the external noise and focus on getting his skillsets right under pressure situations.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cFor Hardik, the one thing that he\u2019s done so well throughout his career is been able to just shut out the noise, put his blinkers on, just put his headphones on and just focus on his ability to be able to execute his skill under immense pressure \u2014 and he\u2019s done that for Mumbai Indians in the past, and for Gujarat Titans too. You silence your critics with performances and he\u2019s got the platform to do that.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cHe is such an incredibly skilled cricketer and he\u2019s a great tactician and a great leader. So, he just needs to shut out the noise that\u2019s obviously all around. He does need to put his headphones on and not allow any of that noise that\u2019s around the grounds to be able to penetrate his bubble. That\u2019s when he\u2019s at his best, that bubble is bulletproof,\u201d he added.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The Royal Challengers Bengaluru also have their issues in a misfiring batting line-up and ahead of their game against Rajasthan Royals in Jaipur on Saturday evening, Watson called for Australia\u2019s fast-bowling all-rounder Cameron Green to be given number three slot as well as be handed the new-ball to use his skills efficiently.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cThe most important thing is he's a number three batter. We saw that when he got the opportunity to bat at number three for the Mumbai Indians (last year). He's a top-order T20 batter, and he's got incredible skills, but he's absolutely not a number five batter.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cSo, if RCB want to get the very best out of him, they need to just lock him in at number three. Over a period of a whole IPL tournament, he will definitely win some matches for the team. But just because he doesn't score runs in one or two games, you can't just shift him down the order to a position where he's certainly not working.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cThat's not his strength at all, batting through the middle overs right now. It will, in time, but right now, as a young top order batter, that's where his skill lies. Same is with the ball \u2013 he\u2019s a highly skilled new-ball bowler. He can swing the ball both ways and has got good pace. He\u2019s also got good defensive skills, though he went for a few runs.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cThe biggest challenge for RCB is to get him engaged in the game more often \u2013 which can happen by making him bat at number three and giving him the brand new ball in the first six overs. But RCB, unfortunately, throughout their history of being in the IPL, have got more of a habit of not necessarily doing that,\u201d concluded Watson.<\/p>\r\n\r\n", "image": "https:\/\/img.cricketnmore.com\/uploads\/2024\/04\/ipl-2024-has-been-a-couple-of-challenging-years-for-ricky-ponting-at-delhi-capitals-says-shane-watson.JPG", "alt_img": "IPL 2024: Has been a couple of challenging years for Ricky Ponting at Delhi Capitals, says Shane Wat", "alt_title": "Mohali: Punjab Kings and Delhi Capitals players during a practice session ahead of their IPL Match", "image1": null, "video": null, "seo_title": "IPL 2024: Has Been A Couple Of Challenging Years For Ricky Ponting At Delhi Capitals, Says Shane Watson On Cricketnmore", "seo_desc": "IPL 2024: Has Been A Couple Of Challenging Years For Ricky Ponting At Delhi Capitals, Says Shane Watson, The Royal Challengers Bengaluru: It hasn\u2019t been a smooth sailing for Ricky Ponting, who\u2019s been the head coach of the.", "seo_keywords": "Ricky Ponting, Delhi Capitals, Shane Watson, New Delhi, Though DC, Chennai Super Kings, Mumbai Indians, The Delhi Capitals, Hardik Pandya, For Hardik, Gujarat Titans, The Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Rajasthan Royals, Cameron Green, But RCB", "tag": "", "tagging": "Ricky Ponting, Delhi Capitals, Shane Watson, New Delhi, Though DC, Chennai Super Kings, Mumbai Indians, The Delhi Capitals, Hardik Pandya, For Hardik, Gujarat Titans, The Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Rajasthan Royals, Cameron Green, But RCB", "status": "1", "img_rpt": "0", "google": "1", "standout": "0", "edapps": "0", "pulse": "0", "no_index": "0", "feed": "0", "fixture": null, "slug": "ipl-2024-has-been-a-couple-of-challenging-years-for-ricky-ponting-at-delhi-capitals-says-shane-watson", "user_id": "0", "read_count": "0", "ians_date": null, "ians_time": null, "server_time": null, "trash": "0", "view_count": "965", "page_break": "0", "instant_articles": "1", "auto_link": "1", "created": "2024-04-06 09:14:04", "updated": "2024-04-06 09:14:04", "img_from": "Image Source: IANS", "img_source": null, "schedule_publish": null, "news_keywords": "Ricky Ponting, Delhi Capitals, Shane Watson, New Delhi, Though DC, Chennai Super Kings, Mumbai Indians, The Delhi Capitals, Hardik Pandya, For Hardik, Gujarat Titans, The Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Rajasthan Royals, Cameron Green, But RCB", "livescore_text": null, "livescore_link": null, "btn_text": null, "resend_feed": "1", "google_feed": "1", "read_more": "0", "posted_by": "23", "jio_date": "2024-04-06 09:14:04", "scheduled": "0", "news_now": "1", "breaking_news": "1", "google_date": null, "featured": "0", "pred_match_id": null, "article_content_type": null, "link": "https:\/\/www.cricketnmore.com\/cricket-news\/ipl-2024-has-been-a-couple-of-challenging-years-for-ricky-ponting-at-delhi-capitals-says-shane-watson-141950" }