IPL 2019: Delhi Capitals coach Ricky Ponting unhappy with state of Feroz Shah Kotla pitch

Sudhir Gupta 11:02 05/04/2019
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Mail
  • Pinterest
  • LinkedIn
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • WhatsApp
  • Pinterest
  • LinkedIn
  • Delhi Capitals coach Ricky Ponting. Image - BCCI/SPORTZPICS.

    Delhi Capitals coach Ricky Ponting has expressed his displeasure with the pitch at Feroz Shah Kotla stadium following his side’s five-wicket loss to Sunrisers Hyderabad on Thursday.

    Having been put in to bat first, Delhi could muster only 129-8 on a slow pitch before Sunrisers chased down the target with more than an over to spare. It was the second defeat in three 2019 Indian Premier League (IPL) matches for the Delhi franchise at home this season and it left Ponting scratching his head.

    “At the end of the day, it’s the same pitch for both teams. But if you would have asked me, would I have wanted to play the Sunrisers on that type of pitch, there’s no (more) polar opposite wicket that you want to play the Sunrisers on. That absolutely suits them to the end of the ground,” the Delhi coach stated after the defeat.

    “They’ve got spinners, and all their seamers all bowl slower balls. On that wicket when you bowl slower balls it’s not even possible (to hit big).

    “If the wicket’s going to keep being like that here, we need to think about selections in our team as well, because maybe our bowlers weren’t best suited to the wicket today. But as I said, it wasn’t expected. It wasn’t what the groundsman told us was going to be so we were all surprised as anybody else.”

    The former Australia skipper admitted to being surprised with the state of the pitch and believes that it was the worst of the three 2019 Indian Premier League (IPL) clashes held at home so far.

    “I think it’s fair to say that that wicket surprised us a lot. Talking to the groundsman before that game, he expected it to be the best pitch out of the three wickets so far. By far and away, it was the worst,” Ponting said.

    “You saw how little it bounced and how slow it was. I thought their bowlers adapted to the conditions really well. They have got very skilful bowler in those conditions.”

    The five-wicket loss on Thursday is the third time Delhi have been beaten this season in five games after a promising start which saw them defeat three-time champions Mumbai Indians in their campaign opener.

    For the very latest news, analysis and opinion download the Sport360 app

    Recommended