Cricket

Ricky Ponting, the legendary Australian cricketer and two-time World Cup-winning captain, believes that India has the potential to end their ICC trophy drought but emphasizes the importance of mental fortitude and peaking at the right time.India, who last won an ICC trophy in 2013, began their T20 World Cup campaign with an emphatic victory over Ireland. Ponting, speaking from New York, acknowledged India's strong squad but stressed the need to overcome the immense pressure that comes with representing a cricket-obsessed nation."You've got to try and keep a clear mind where you can focus on the task at hand rather than thinking too far ahead or worrying about any sort of external pressures," said Ponting. "There's no doubting the talent (in India squad), but we also shouldn't forget that the World Cups are not easy to win."Ponting highlighted the importance of raising the game in the latter stages of the tournament. "One thing you know about World Cups, you have to have your best players playing well at the right time. Australian teams are playing their best cricket right at the back half of the tournament and peaking again at the right time in a major event," he said.Six months ago, Australia lifted the ODI World Cup trophy under Pat Cummins' captaincy, demonstrating their ability to peak at the right moment. Ponting believes India has the talent to match the likes of Australia, England, and South Africa, who he considers the top four teams in the ongoing tournament."I mean, it's not so much about power hitting, it's about strike rates as well," said Ponting when asked if India lacked the power-hitting capabilities of their rivals. "If you look at the strike rates of the Indian batters, they'd probably match up pretty well against players from other countries."Ponting also emphasized the importance of opening with Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli throughout the tournament. "What we've seen with Rohit over the last couple of years is that he is playing a lot more of an aggressive role at the top of the order than he probably once did. Virat is coming off another magnificent IPL opening the batting for RCB, so I would definitely be going that way," he said.In terms of spin bowling, Ponting believes India is well-covered with the likes of Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Ravindra Jadeja, and Axar Patel in their squad. "A lot of Australia's success as well revolves around how well Adam Zampa bowls. We saw that in the 50-over World Cup and what he's done for the Australian T20 cricket in the last four or five years has been outstanding. Spin might play a bigger role as the tournament goes on...Wrist spin obviously even more important," he added.

Shreyas Iyer's resilience has been tested time and again. After a stellar performance in the 2023 ODI World Cup, he faced a recurrence of back troubles, lost his BCCI contract, and was overlooked for India's T20 World Cup squad. Despite these setbacks, Iyer has remained positive and determined.Under his leadership, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) has emerged as a formidable force in IPL 2024. After nine games, they sit second in the points table with six wins. KKR assistant coach Abhishek Nayar attributes Iyer's success to his mental fortitude."He is one of the strongest people, mentally, I have ever known," said Nayar. "He has accepted the challenges he has faced and approached life with a positive attitude."Iyer's fitness has also improved significantly. After undergoing back surgery in 2023, he has worked diligently with KKR's strength and conditioning team."He is feeling a lot better now," said Nayar. "He is batting longer hours and has trained really hard."Despite not having a stellar IPL season with the bat, Iyer has contributed consistently. He has scored 251 runs at a strike rate of 137.15, batting primarily at Nos. 4 and 5."His mindset is to score runs, whether he plays the IPL, the Ranji Trophy, or for India," said Nayar. "He looks to score runs, and the way he has handled the challenges he has faced is commendable."As KKR prepares to face Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede, Iyer's focus is on leading his team to victory. Despite not being part of India's T20 World Cup squad, he remains determined to prove his worth.