23 May,2022 07:55 AM IST | Mumbai | PTI
Rishabh Pant during DC’s defeat to MI on Saturday. Pic/ BCCI; IPL
Delhi Capitals head coach Ricky Ponting has backed Rishabh Pant to continue leading the side, saying the wicketkeeper-batsman is still young and learning the ropes of captaincy and remains the right choice for the job.
Pant's captaincy has been under the scanner all season with the youngster making some dubious calls during IPL-15.
On Saturday, in DC's must-win game against Mumbai Indians, a strategic blunder cost the team a spot in the playoffs.
ALSO READ
'Boosted me when I struggled in IPL 2022': Kohli on special bond Karthik
Shubman Gill delighted to undertake GT's captaincy
Yuzvendra Chahal recalls feeling 'sad' over RCB snub
When Pandya hailed 'beloved' Nehraji for getting the best out of him on field
Sam Curran become costliest buy at IPL auction, fetches Rs 18.5 crore bid
With MI at 95 for three in 14.3 overs while chasing a target of 160, Pant made a strategic blunder as he refused to call for DRS after Tim David nicked the first ball of his innings and the on-field umpire didn't give him out.
It came back to haunt DC as David slammed 34 runs off just 11 balls with the help of two boundaries and four sixes to take the game out of DC's grasp.
"Absolutely, no doubt in my mind that Rishabh even in the last season he was the right choice for captain. Rishabh did a terrific job with the team after he took over from Shreyas [Iyer] after he injured his shoulders," Ponting said during the press conference after DC lost by five wickets against MI.
"He is just a young man and still learning captaincy. Being captain of a T20 team, especially in IPL, which is a high pressure tournament, is not an easy thing to do and unfortunately, every single thing you do will be scrutinised. He certainly got my full backing."
Ponting said he was "gutted" to see the match slip away, but didn't blame Pant for the loss.
"It is always hard to put a finger on one single aspect of the game. Top of the order our batting was poor, we were four down for 40, which is not the ideal way to start a T20 game, especially big games which you have to win," he said.
"I feel pretty gutted that the game slipped through out of our hands, we didn't close out the match in the last few overs."
This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
