Ricky Ponting hopes DC will start their IPL 14 campaign on a winning note against CSK.
As Delhi Capitals (DC) get set to kickstart its Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 campaign against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) on Saturday (April 10) in Mumbai, all the limelight will be on DC’s new captain Rishabh Pant.
Delhi Capitals’ young wicketkeeper-batsman is all set to make his captaincy debut in the ongoing 14th edition of the IPL when he turns up for the toss alongside legendary Chennai Super Kings captain MS Dhoni at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
Well, the big stage is set for the young captain Pant and the left-hander is obviously over the moon as he is going to walk and stand alongside his childhood hero Dhoni for the toss in Mumbai on Saturday, as well as, his captaincy debut game is against CSK, as he said that he is looking forward to living these moments.
Pant said in a statement: “It will be extra special to walk out for the toss with MS Dhoni tomorrow. This will be the first time that I will be leading an IPL team and the first match is against Mahi Bhai. I have learned a lot from him, and I have gained a lot of experience from him. Hopefully, I can use this experience against him, and we can win this match. That's what I am looking forward to.”
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On the squad of the 2020 runner-up DC, the skipper said: “I have been talking to the senior players like Shikhar Dhawan, Ravichandran Ashwin, and Ajinkya Rahane about the fields we can set and other strategic decisions for the team. I have been talking to Ricky (Ponting, the head coach) and our bowling coach James Hopes as well. There's a good mix of seniors and juniors in our squad and I think with the help of Ricky, we can do something different this year.”
The 23-year-old also said he is just looking to keep things simple in his debut game as captain against the three-time IPL champions CSK.
Pant concluded, “I haven't thought about the fact that it's my first match as captain in the IPL. I am just going to keep things simple and give my 100 percent. You get a good idea about setting fields as a wicket-keeper and now as captain, I will be making the changes in the field directly. So, there's not going to be much of a difference for me.”
Meanwhile, DC head coach Ricky Ponting said they want to build on last year's performance and approach their opening game against CSK with the “right attitude”.
Ponting stated, “The CSK have got a good squad of players and they've got lots of flexibility and a lot of options. But we've got a great squad as well and we want to build on last season. I have said to the boys that it's not about last season, but there are a lot of positives that we can take from the way we have played in the last couple of seasons.”
The coach further noted, “Although we've got a slightly different squad, we expect to play better as a group and achieve some better results. So, for us, Chennai Super Kings is just game one. We need to approach it with the right attitude and play well. Hopefully, win that game and move on to the second game. But we know that we'll have to play well to win.”
Commenting on the opposite side CSK led by Dhoni, the Aussie great said: “The Chennai Super Kings have been one of the most successful teams in the history of the IPL. They have got a great leader and a great squad of players. They have always managed to play consistent cricket.”
He signed off by saying, “Last year, they were probably disappointed with the way their season worked out, but I think a lot of that had to do with the fact that Suresh Raina wasn't there for the entire tournament. He comes back to the squad this year, which is almost like a new recruit for them.”
(With ANI Inputs)