New Delhi [India], March 25 : Former Australian skipper Ricky Pointing, who will bear the responsibilities of Delhi Capitals head coach, has said that Prithvi Shaw has trained "harder and better" and it would be the biggest IPL season for him.
"He's trained harder and better than I've ever seen. I'm pretty sure leading into an IPL, he is in better physical shape than I've ever seen him before. And I spoke to him the other day about his attitude and the way that he's working and how things are going. I honestly feel that this is going to be his biggest season ever in the IPL," Ponting told reporters in Delhi on Friday at a Delhi Capitals event.
Prithvi Shaw is seen as a player with a lot of potential. In the past five seasons, Shaw has played 63 matches and scored 1,588 runs with an average of 25.21 and a strike rate of 147.45. His best season with Delhi Capitals came in 2021 as he struck 479 runs in 15 matches which included four half-centuries.
Pointing said they will see "real Prithvi Shaw" this season.
"He just has that different look in his eye this year - you can see that he's probably hungrier than ever. Yes, he's had some success for us, but I think with the level of talent and ability that he's got, I think we're going to see the real Prithvi Shaw this season. It's well documented that I had some issues early on, but it's all about just being true to yourself and wanting to be the best that you can be," Ponting said.
"The one thing that I always say to our players is I don't like laziness and I don't like guys not utilising the talent that they've got. That's one thing I always say. And so that's then my job as a coach. If I can see that guys aren't working as hard as they should, they're not getting the most out of them, then it's up to me to try and change that. So, you know, it just seems to me that this season, though, something has really clicked in Prithvi. He seems to be in a better space than ever before," Pointing added.
There are a few barriers which have restricted Shaw's progress. The gap that opens up between his bat and pad leaves him vulnerable against fast bowlers. Sometimes, his attitude on the pitch also opens up an opportunity for the opposition bowler to easily tackle him. Pointing also highlighted on the importance of the attitude of a player.
"That's my job to make them better players, but at the end of the day, I want to make them better people as well. That's a big part. The better person you are, I think it's easier to become a better player. And if you haven't got your personal life in order off the field, it's really difficult to be a disciplined performer on the field. So that's one of the things that I try to teach because I've been there and done it," Pointing continued.
Delhi Capitals will play their opening match against Lucknow Super Giants on April 1.
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