28 April,2022 07:16 AM IST | Mumbai | Harit Joshi
Coach Ricky Ponting talks to Delhi Capitals players during a practice session at Mumbai Cricket Association’s Bandra-Kurla Complex ground recently. Pic/Sayyed Sameer Abedi
Delhi Capitals return to the Wankhede Stadium today with the hope of playing better cricket and with an improved conduct against Kolkata Knight Riders. Rishabh Pant and Co were furious with the umpires in their last game against Rajasthan Royals on Friday over a controversial decision regarding a waist-high full toss in the final over, which they claimed was a no-ball. They lost the match, following which the BCCI slapped heavy fines on skipper Pant, his teammate Shardul Thakur and imposed a one-match ban on assistant coach Pravin Amre for stoppage in play.
Head coach Ricky Ponting, who had missed the match after being in isolation due to a family member testing positive for Covid-19, said that he "broke three or four remote controls and a few bottles of water might have got thrown into the walls" while watching the drama unfold on his TV.
With another seven matches to go, DC, who are placed seventh with three wins and four losses, cannot afford to brood over that no-ball controversy. KKR are placed a spot below them with three wins and five defeats. Ponting, who will be back in the dugout, knows exactly how to approach the second half of the tournament.
"I know we're so close to turning it 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. The harder we try from here, the harder it's going to get. We're just going to stay nice and relaxed and keep repeating things we've been doing. And results will definitely come our way. We are too good a team for the results not to change," Ponting said via a statement ahead of Thursday's clash.
Ponting is confident DC can change its fortunes. "It's a really good definitive cut-off point - the half-way time of the season. We can reassess and readjust and get on with it, hopefully, dominating the second half of this tournament," said Ponting.
Meanwhile, KKR were in a precarious situation in the last IPL around the half-way mark with just two wins from eight games. Once the tournament moved to the UAE after a Covid-induced break, KKR turned things around dramatically, winning five of their next seven games to make it to the playoffs and then to the final, which they lost to CSK.
This time though, they are struggling, having lost their last four games after winning three of their first four. However, with the IPL qualifiers to be played at Kolkata's Eden Gardens, skipper Shreyas Iyer is keen to perform before their home fans. "We just got to know the qualifiers are at the Eden Gardens, so we'll put in our 100 per cent effort to see to it that we win the games and go out there and entertain our fans," Iyer told KKR's website on Tuesday.
