IPL 2018: Ricky Ponting knows how to get the best out of the players, feels Gautam Gambhir

Delhi Daredevils on Wednesday (March 7) named Gautam Gambhir as its captain for the upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). They had bought the former KKR captain for Rs 2.6 crore in the auction that was held in January. In a recent press conference, Gautam Gambhir was asked about the importance of having someone like Ricky Ponting as coach and he responded by saying that the legendary Aussie skipper knows how to get the best out of the players. 

“I think he’s coming into the group as a winner. He has faced a lot of (tough) situations and has won the World Cup 2-3 times. He has also seen ups and downs, both as a player and captain. He can get the best out of the players. If a player is going through a rough patch, he knows how to deal with him in such a situation, (similarly) he can also help the player continue his good form,” Gambhir stated, reported One India.

The 36-year old, who led the Kolkata Knight Riders to two league titles, also revealed that the challenges of captaining an IPL side. He further added that with the amount of talent in the squad, it is a little difficult to manage the players. But he also spoke about how important it was to back the players and give them a long rope. 

“Captaincy is a big challenge, especially in the IPL because you have so much talent. You have 8 foreign players out of which you can play only 4 and you have 16-17 domestic (Indian) players out of which you can play only 7. Hence, there are less opportunities. But the important thing is that whoever is getting a chance needs to be given a longer rope otherwise it would become an insecure environment and in an insecure environment, it is difficult to perform,” the discarded Indian opener further added.