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Updated April 6th, 2021 at 10:09 IST

IPL 2021: Ricky Ponting backs new captain Rishabh Pant, says 'he wants to be a leader'

Delhi’s Head Coach Ricky Ponting has hailed his new captain Rishabh Pant as someone who likes to take responsibilities and win games for his team.

Reported by: Vishal Tiwari
IPL 2021: Ricky Ponting backs new captain Rishabh Pant, says 'he wants to be a leader'
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Delhi’s Head Coach Ricky Ponting has hailed his new captain Rishabh Pant as someone who likes to take responsibilities and win games for his team. Ponting, who landed in India last week for the upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL), said Pant understands the game and the new responsibilities that come with the captaincy is going to “sit really well with him”. The swashbuckling cricketer was announced Delhi’s new captain on March 30 after Shreyas Iyer injured his shoulder in an ODI match against England. 

“I think extra responsibility is going to sit really well with him. He's that sort of a person who likes the responsibility, wants to be the main man, and wants to be the leader, so I am really excited to see how he goes. We'll help him through, but honestly, I don't think he's going to need much help at all,” Ponting said in a statement. 

Pant regains form

Pant has regained his form after having some poor performances over the last two years. Earlier in January, Pant announced his comeback by helping India win the Border-Gavaskar trophy against Australia in an away series. Pant carried his good form into the next series against England, where he amassed runs at crunch moments, especially when India needed someone to bat longer and maintain a good run rate at the same time. 

Pant’s captaincy role couldn’t have come at a better time, given the good form he is currently in and the boost that IPL provides to young cricketers. Both Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli were made captains of their respective teams in the IPL way before their names were being considered for India’s captaincy. Pant is already being compared to the legendary MS Dhoni as both are wicketkeeper-batsman and now captains of their sides in the IPL. Delhi will open their campaign on April 10 as they take on three-time champions Chennai at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.

(With inputs from ANI)

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Published April 6th, 2021 at 10:09 IST

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