IPL 2020: Ajinkya Rahane not an automatic selection for Delhi Capitals, says coach Ricky Ponting
Speaking ahead of the first IPL 2020 match, Delhi Capitals coach Ricky Ponting said that batsman Ajinkya Rahane’s spot in playing XI is not guaranteed, but he’s in the mix of things
In Short
- Coach Ricky Ponting added that he has been working closely with Rahane to improve his T20 batting
- Delhi Capitals had a pretty successful IPL season last year where they finished third in the points table
- They start their IPL 2020 campaign against Kings XI Punjab in Dubai on Sunday
Delhi Capitals will be kicking off their IPL 2020 campaign against the Kings XI Punjab on Sunday at Dubai, and ahead of the clash, coach Ricky Ponting spoke about the preparation of the team over the last couple of weeks.
It was while speaking about his players that Ricky Ponting gave some clues on the line-up that may possibly be assembled for the franchise’s inaugural clash at the Dubai International Stadium.
Ricky Ponting sort of surprised everyone when he said that India batsman Ajinkya Rahane’s spot in playing XI is not guaranteed, and that they will see how things go on. He did, however, add that Rahane is in the ‘mix of things’ for the first match, and said that the final call on his inclusion would be taken just before the toss on Sunday.
“Ajinkya isn’t an automatic selection but his preparation has been great," Ricky Ponting told InsideSport in an interaction.
"I have worked closely with him to improve his T20 batting but I have already had the conversation with him regarding this and as far as the first match goes he is certainly in the mix of things.”
Rahane was brought to Delhi Capitals from Rajasthan Royals
Ajinkya Rahane, who was the regular opener for the last several seasons at the IPL, was bought by Delhi Capitals last year.
The Delhi Capital’s side, led by the young Shreyas Iyer, have explosive batsmen in the form of Prithvi Shaw and Shikhar Dhawan, and it is unlikely that Rahane will be given a spot up the order. However, he could be used to strengthen the middle-order along with captain Shreyas Iyer and wicket-keeper Rishabh Pant.
Speaking about Rishabh Pant, Ponting said, “Rishabh knows about his responsibilities but at the same time, he isn’t a person you would want to push too hard.
“I am very hard on him when it comes to the way he goes about his batting and preparations. He is the sort of guy you can’t train much, he will perform when the situation comes around,” the Australian added.