Shimron Hetmyer heaps praise on Ricky Ponting, says 'he is always there to back you'

Delhi Capitals (DC) batsman Shimron Hetmyer has said that his coach Ricky Ponting is always there to back players and that he gives confidence to each and everyone in the squad. After winning the match against Punjab Kings convincingly, Hetmyer heaped praises on his coach Ricky Ponting for giving everyone the freedom to express themselves in the best way possible, adding "that is the one thing I like about him".  

"I have been here for just two seasons, from being here for two years, Ricky Ponting has helped in terms of positivity. He has given everyone the freedom to express themselves in the best possible fashion. He is always there to back you and push you to do your best. That is one of the things I like about him," Hetmyer said at the post-match press conference. 

Hetmyer also talked about finishing games for Delhi. He said that this year he is getting a lot of chances to go out and bat freely, which he did not get much last year because "guys at the top were batting really well". When asked about the kind of adjustments players need to make after a change in venue, Hetmyer said that most of the guys in the IPL have played international matches, which makes it easy for them to adjust to the conditions, adding that it's all about assessing those conditions and playing accordingly. 

DC vs PBKS

Delhi Capitals won the match by 7 wickets with 14 balls to spare. After winning the toss and deciding to field first, DC bowlers managed to restrict a baffled Punjab Kings under 170, which made it easy for their batters to go out and express themselves freely as the target was not so high to chase down. Punjab Kings had come into the game on the back of the loss of their star skipper KL Rahul. However, stand-in captain Mayank Agarwal took the responsibility on his shoulders and helped his side post a respectable total at a time when most of his teammates were falling like the house of cards at the other end. 

Mayank Agarwal scored an unbeaten 99 off just 58 balls, including 4 sixes and 8 boundaries. Dawid Malan, the world's no. 1 T20 batsman, who made his debut for Punjab last night in place of Nicholas Pooran, remained the second-highest run-scorer for his side as he hit 26 off 26 balls. Gayle and Prabhsimran Singh made 13 and 12 runs respectively. No other batsman from the Punjab side was able to cross the double-digit mark and the innings finished at 166/6. 

DC openers Shikhar Dhawan and Prithvi Shaw provided a solid start, as usual, scoring 60 runs in the powerplay. Shaw hit 39 off just 22 balls before he was dismissed by Harpreet Brar. Steve Smith played his part and scored 24 off 22 before being dismissed by Riley Meredith. DC skipper Rishabh Pant came in but couldn't finish the game as he was bowled out for just 14 runs. Shikhar Dhawan with his incredible 69 not-out ended it for Delhi alongside teammate Shimron Hetmyer, who came in and smashed two back-to-back maximums to close it as quickly as possible. 

(Image Credit: IPL)