Delhi Capitals head coach Ricky Ponting revealed that Prithvi Shaw will open to David Warner with Mitchell Marsh coming at No.3.
New Delhi: Keeping all the recent controversies behind, Prithvi Shaw will come in a fresh new avatar for Delhi Capitals in the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023, feels head coach Ricky Ponting.
The 2018 India U-19 World Cup-winning Indian skipper, Shaw, has been in brilliant form in the domestic circuit with his 379 off 383 balls for Mumbai against Assam in the Ranji Trophy being the highlight among all.
He was also recently involved in an ugly incident in Mumbai. Speaking about the youngster’s preparation ahead of the IPL 2023, Ponting felt this season will be the biggest of his career ever in the cash-rich league.
📸 | The DC boys hard at work ahead of #IPL2023 🏏#YehHaiNayiDilli pic.twitter.com/JM4Tly6PHg
— Delhi Capitals (@DelhiCapitals) March 23, 2023
“He has worked hard, trained better than I have ever seen. He is a better physical shape than I have seen him before. I spoke with him about his attitude, how he is working and the way things are going,” Ponting said on Friday during a promotional event at a city hotel.
“I honestly feel this is going to be his biggest season ever in the IPL. He just has that different look in his eyes this year and he probably hungry than ever. Yes, its true he has some success for us at Delhi Capitals and with the level of talent he has got, I think everyone will get to see the real Prithvi Shaw this year,” added the former Australian skipper.
Ponting had some off-field issues to deal with during his initial playing days. Referring Shaw’s Mumbai incident and what how should young cricketers keep their focus on, Ponting said, “It’s all about staying true to yourself and be the best you can be.
“The one thing that I tell all the players is that I don’t like laziness and I don’t like guys not utilising the time that they have got. If I see the guys are not working hard as they should, then its my job to try and change that.”
The right-hander joined Delhi Capitals pre-season camp in Kolkata under the supervision of Sourav Ganguly, Delhi Capitals Director of Cricket. Ponting stated that Shaw has done some extra work since joining the camp.
“It just seems to be that this season, something has clicked for Pritvi, he seems to be in a better space than ever before and he has done extra work since he joined the camp this season. That’s a great sign for us,” added the two-time World Cup-winning Australian skipper.
Ponting revealed that Shaw will be opening the innings for Delhi Capitals alongside David Warner. Delhi Capitals open their account against Lucknow Super Giants on April 1 at the Ekana Stadium.
