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SEE: Delhi Capitals and Ponting get into shape

August 20, 2020 10:22 IST

Rishabh Pant

All Photographs and video: Kind courtesy Delhi Capitals/Twitter

Rishabh Pant, the local boy who has turned out to be a marquee player for Delhi Capitals, flaunted his big-hitting skills and variety in a video of his first training session on Wednesday.

 

 

Fast bowler Ishant Sharma was also seen getting into the shape before heading to Dubai for IPL 2020. He also caught up with former India wicketkeeper-batsman Vijay Dahiya, the talent scout for the Delhi Capitals.

Ishant Sharma

All-rounder Lalit Yadav, who was picked up at the last IPL auction for his base price of Rs 20 lakh, has been practising along with his Delhi Capitals team-mates.

Delhi Capitals

 

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IMAGE: Ravichandran Ashwin appeals for Jos Buttler's wicket after running him out at the non-striker's end. Photograph: BCCI

Meanwhile, Delhi Capitals Head Coach Ricky Ponting said he will speak to premier off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin on running out batsmen via the controversial mankading method of dismissal.

Then Kings XI captain Ashwin triggered a huge controversy in last year's IPL when he ran out Rajasthan Royals's Jos Buttler while the batsman was backing up at the non-striker's end.

Ashwin chose to whip off the bails as Buttler stepped out of the crease instead of completing his delivery to the batsman on strike.

Informally named after the legendary Vinoo Mankad, who first did it in 1947 against Australia, 'Mankading' is when a bowler dismisses a non-striker by removing the bails in the process of delivering the ball with the batsman outside the crease.

Though this is a legally permissible dismissal, it is widely considered against the spirit of the game.

Ponting said he will have a chat with Ashwin, who was traded to Delhi earlier this year.

Speaking on The Grade Cricketer podcast, Ponting said: 'I'll be having a chat with him about (mankading), that's the first thing I'll do.'

'He wasn't in our squad last year, he's one of our players that we tried to afford to bring in this year. Look, he's a terrific bowler, and he's done a great job in the IPL for a long period of time now, but I must admit watching that last season, as soon as it happened and he did that, I actually sat our boys down and said, "Look, I know he's done it, there'll be others around the tournament who'll think about doing this well, but that's not going to be the way that we play our cricket. We won't be doing that,' Ponting said.

Ashwin had then defended the dismissal after the match saying: 'Naturally if it's there in the rules, it's there.'

Ponting is in no mood to relent.

'So, that's going to be a conversation and that's going to be a hard conversation I will have to have with him, but I'm pretty sure he'll take it on the chin,' the former Australian captain said.

'I think, even him, looking back now, probably he'd say it was within the rules and he is right to do it, but this is not within the spirit of the game, not in the way I want, at least with the Delhi Capitals anyway.'

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