Australian legend Ricky Ponting feels talented opener Prithvi Shaw should never be an outlier on any team considering his incredible skillset. However, Ponting was the Delhi Capitals (DC) head coach from 2018 to 2024 before recently parting ways with them as well. Meanwhile, Shaw has been part of the DC setup since 2018 but his playing time has reduced over the past couple of years as well.
When asked about his regular benching during IPL 2024 in an interview with Cricbuzz, Ponting said: “Prithvi Shaw shouldn’t be an outlier. He should be someone that’s in every team; the first pick in most teams with the skill that he’s got. He’s had a chance to represent India as a youngster, making a hundred on his Test debut. And as you say, halfway through this year, we couldn’t find a slot for him in our DC team. So that’s disappointing for me as a coach not to be able to make certain players better and get the best out of them.”
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“But sometimes there’s only so much you can give and so many times you can try. When you feel like you’re not making players better and they’re not doing what you need for the team, then you’ve got to look for other players that can do it for you. So that then comes back to the player,” he again shared.
However, the 24-year-old played only eight games this season, averaging only 24.75 at a strike rate of 163.64 as well. Shaw also was in and out of the DC playing 11 in 2023, playing only eight matches with a dismal average of 13.25. Ricky Ponting although hopeful that Prithvi Shaw could still work out how to get himself to be at his best as well.
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“With him in particular I’ve had a lot of chats with him, a lot of conversations to try and make him a better cricketer. I mean, he’s still a young man. And he’s still a very talented young player. And hopefully one day the penny really drops for him and he works out what he needs to do to be the best cricketer that he can be,” concluded Ricky Ponting.
