It’s only been few days since he took charge of the team but Ricky Ponting already has made quite an impression on the youngsters in Delhi Daredevils’ ranks. And, in contrast to Rahul Dravid who was seen more as creating a feeder line for the Indian team, the Australian has kept his target simpler – win the trophy.
“He is very aggressive and he’s got a positive frame of mind. When he came the first day, he gave a speech which almost gave us goosebumps. He said we are here to win, that is his natural frame of mind. He is not bothered about the process – everyone comes in and talks about the process and how to build up to the tournament but this guy, when he came in, he just wanted to win,” Shreyas Iyer said here.
The contrast, clearly, with Dravid’s methods is stark and Iyer admitted as much. “There are a lot of youngsters in the team who like freedom and Ponting made us feel we have total freedom to go out and express ourselves. Rahul Dravid is more calm, he likes to be in the process and nurture the kids, he is more like grooming the youngsters. Ricky obviously is the opposite,” he declared.
Adding that Ponting has brought a bit of Australian culture into the dressing room, Iyer said, “He is aggressive but also gives freedom, he asks us to play our own game so we don't have to change our technique or skill on how to go about the game.”
Vijay Shankar said that the atmosphere was similar to that of the current Indian team, adding, “What is more important is how we do well for the team. If we can get something from him and keep winning matches, that will be the best thing for us.”
Comments
SHARE