INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE 2018

Ponting's mind is on results, not the process: Shreyas Iyer

by Cricbuzz Staff • Published on

Ponting's aim is simple - 'go for the kill,' as Iyer puts it. © Getty

"We have a lot of youngsters in the team and they like freedom. Suddenly he (Ricky Ponting) came in and made us feel free," Shreyas Iyer said on Monday (April 2), of the Delhi Daredevils squad that has assembled for the upcoming season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) and what the new head coach Ricky Pontingbrings to the table.

Delhi Daredevils had gone in with a clear approach to the mega auction earlier this year. They wanted to build a young and aggressive team around Gautam Gambhir. They also wanted big hitters in the side in order to take advantage of the small boundaries at the Ferozshah Kotla Stadium, which they aim to make their fortress - something that the team has failed to do in the past. And given the players they managed to buy, they would be quite satisfied with their squad.

To go with the trio of retained players - Shreyas Iyer, Chris Morris and Rishabh Pant - they also bought the likes of Glenn Maxwell, Colin Munro, Jason Roy to beef up their line-up with power-hitters, apart from some young talents like Prithvi Shaw, Manjot Kalra and Abhishek Sharma.

And unlike their previous mentor, Rahul Dravid, who too had assembled a young squad with a larger view in mind, Ponting's aim is simple - 'go for the kill,' as Iyer puts it. "Both (Ponting and Dravid) are equally good in their way," Iyer said. "Dravid is more calm and cool, he nurtures the kids. Ricky is pretty opposite but both have the same frame of mind. He said that 'we are here to win'. His frame of mind was pretty much about winning, not about the process.

"He has got his own way of preparing every youngster and though it has been just three days, we all know that we will get to learn a lot from him. Normally, everybody comes in and talks a lot about process and but this guy had just one thing in his mind and that was to win."

Adding that the session with Ponting has pumped up the energy among the younger players in the side, he said, "It has been really good with (Ponting so far). He has been pretty aggressive. He has got that positive frame of mind. When he came in and gave a speech to all of us, it really fired us, we almost had goosebumps."

Unlike some of the other teams that went for a major overhaul, Delhi Daredevils first decided on their captain and then built a team around him. With Gautam Gambhir showing interest in coming back to his home city, the plans were chalked out well in advance. The southpaw had achieved a lot of success with Kolkata Knight Riders, being pivotal to their transformation and helping them win two titles. He was credited for having backed his players, especially the youngsters, to the hilt.

Iyer, who has played three seasons with the franchise, believes Gambhir will bring in the much-needed leadership experience to the side and offered an insight as to how the team has gelled with his style of working. "It is really helpful to have Gambhir as well," he said. "He has got tremendous experience and led KKR to title twice. He's really good in building the rapport with the youngsters.

"He asks us to play our own game and not necessarily change our technique or skill. He has his way of preparing youngsters. It has just been three or four days since he has come in, we will get to learn a lot."

© Cricbuzz

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