Former Australian skipper Ricky Ponting on Tuesday revealed how “little technical modifications” made whereas enjoying for Delhi Capitals helped Axar Patel grow to be an efficient batter for India. Ponting is hoping to “get a bit extra out of him” when he turns up for Delhi Capitals on this IPL. Axar (264 runs) has impressed in the course of the Border-Gavaskar Test sequence towards Australia, slamming three half-centuries to emerge because the second highest scorer for India behind Virat Kohli (297 runs) from 5 innings. “I’ve identified Axar for a very long time and he was solely a younger boy within the squad at Mumbai after I first went there,” Ponting informed the ICC Review.
“I’ve identified that there is been a certain quantity of batting ability there that basically, other than the final couple of years, he hadn’t actually been exhibiting at IPL stage and even at worldwide stage.
“There had been just a few little method modifications that we made with him. We simply opened up his hips and his shoulders slightly bit. So he was a bit extra chest-on in direction of the right-arm quick bowlers.” The 29-year-old bowling all-rounder didn’t make his IPL debut for MI in 2013. He flourished throughout his five-year stint at Kings XI Punjab and emerged as top-of-the-line white-ball performers with some good present for the Delhi Capitals during the last 4 seasons.
Ponting, who’s the coach of Delhi Capitals, stated Axar used to battle towards the quick ball early in his profession.
“If there was ever a weak point in his sport, it was the quick ball that was kind of directed at his physique. The motive that he was a bit weak in that space was he was too side-on, and the ball was at all times kind of in behind his proper shoulder,” Ponting stated.
“We simply tried to open him up slightly bit, which gave him slightly bit extra entry to the ball. He’s at all times been a stupendous offside participant. You know, his cowl driving and slicing is nearly as good as anybody’s. And if something, he was just a bit bit too blocked off to have the ability to rating effectively on the leg aspect.
“We tweaked just a few issues there and since he is such a superb younger individual to work with, and he is clearly very gifted, so subsequently he was a quick learner and was in a position to decide issues up actually rapidly and alter his method sufficient to point out actually, actually good enchancment actually early on.”
“I need to get a bit extra out of him at DC this yr”
Impressed together with his batting, Ponting needs to advertise Axar slightly up the order to get extra out of him on this IPL.
“I need to get a bit extra out of him on the Delhi Capitals this yr, that is for positive,” Ponting stated.
“Just a few instances final yr we kind of batted him up slightly bit increased. I believe he is ok to bat No.6 most likely in an IPL crew.” Ponting additionally feels Axar is able to batting at No.6 or No.7 for India within the longest format.
“He’s ok to bat at six or seven in a Test match crew as effectively,” he stated.
“The increased he bats in first-class cricket, and if he performs some extra Test cricket even outdoors of India, then I believe he might maintain down a six or seven spot in a Test crew as effectively.
“He’s the kind of participant that I believe might make quite a lot of first-class lots of. That’s the place it is acquired to start out for him, perhaps get some assist in his state crew and perhaps bat slightly bit up the order there.”
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