Ricky Ponting to ensure DC peaks at the 'right time'; 'Rahane & Ashwin will be key'

He scripted Delhi Capitals' turnaround in IPL last season and now as head coach of the team, Ricky Ponting wants to focus and ensure that the team peaked at the right time during IPL 13 in UAE.

"I’ve made it clear to the boys that we are not going to over-train in the first three weeks. I believe our preparation leading up to the first game is critical. I want to make sure that physically, technically, and tactically the boys are peaking for the first game. We’ve got a smaller squad so I want to sort of manage our training sessions differently than we did last year. The attitude from the start has been amazing, and today was no exception. It was hot and quite draining for the players but coming off on the back of a good season last year, you would expect the mood to be upbeat," Ponting said this post a three-hour nets session on Tuesday evening.

Ponting said for Delhi Capitals the duo of Ravichandran Ashwin and Ajinkya Rahane will play a crucial role. “Both of them are class players and have been long-term Indian players. Ashwin has been one of the most successful spinners in IPL history, and Rahane has led Rajasthan for a long time as well. They have all sorts of skill, class, and experience which they’ll add to our squad. We all know how important experience is in T20 cricket, and we understand that. We’ve got a young captain in Shreyas, but to have those older, more experienced minds on the ground will help us a lot," he observed.

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Ponting said he wanted to repeat and better team's last year's performance. “Last year, I had as much fun as I’ve ever had with a cricket team, and I want to make sure we can replicate that this season as well. I think it’s really important that when you have success, you understand why you have it. I’ll be banking on the guys we still have from last year - it’s important for them to remember the positives. If they can impose that on the younger and new guys in the team, before you know it, you’re going to have this really infectious attitude around the team again which is what I’m all about as a coach,” he noted.

“It is an unusual time we have got - having three weeks - I think we had slotted in about 20 training sessions before our first game, which in my opinion are too many, so we are just going to see how the boys are shaping up after every training session and then take it from there. With all the protocols involved, the teams that manage themselves the best throughout the tournament, I think will go a long way. What I mean by management is not managing the players, but managing our time as well, and finding things and activities which we can do together as a group,” the head coach added.

(AP Photo)

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