Ricky Ponting and The Art of Winning
Don't just win, demolish the opposition - that's been Ricky Ponting's modus operandi throughout his career. In Kolkata on May 24, Mumbai Indians thrashed the table-toppers Chennai Super Kings to make it one of the most lop-sided final ever.
- Jaideep Chakrabarty
- Updated: May 27, 2015 10:03 PM IST
ICC World Cup 1999 - Winner
ICC World Cup 2003 - Winner as captain
ICC Champions Trophy 2005 - Winner as captain
ICC World Cup 2007 - Winner as captain
Indian Premier League 2013 - Winner, captained the first four games
Indian Premier League 2015 - Winner as coach
Not many players can boast of a CV like that. Ricky Ponting does. (Mumbai Indians Win Second IPL Crown)
Ricky Ponting was one of the greatest batsmen of his generation but most importantly, he was a winner. Both with his bat and tactical acumen, the Tasman Tiger has led his teams to various accolades.
"I made it clear that I was here to win the IPL", said Ponting in an interview with ESPNCricinfo.
'We are here to win'- one the most cliched answers that a coach offers at most conferences. Some mean it, some don't. Ricky Ponting just doesn't want to win it, he wants to win with style.
That's exactly what Mumbai Indians did this season. They lost their first four games, then won eight of the remaining ten. (Mumbai Erupts in Joy After Team Wins IPL 2015)
Don't just win, demolish the opposition - that's been Ponting's modus operandi throughout his career. In Kolkata on May 24, Mumbai Indians thrashed the table-toppers Chennai Super Kings to make it one of the most lop-sided final ever.
This Mumbai Indians team was little different from the ones we have seen before - it had the 'Ponting' stamp all over it. They faltered at the beginning but steam rolled every opposition once they got their combinations correct. (Ricky Ponting May Become International Coach)
In the beginning Mumbai got it wrong - The Malinga-Vinay Kumar combination never scared the opponents and the sudden loss of form for Aaron Finch worsened matters. Mumbai looked out of depth and were missing on the cutting edge - a threat that would make the opposition quake in their boots.
In 2013, Ponting unleashed Mitchell Johnson. This time, enter Mitchell McClenaghan. (Tendulkar Goes on a Selfie-Clicking Spree)
Ponting has been abrasive and in-your-face all his life. He loves a fight and backs players who embody his 'fighting' philosophy. During his playing days he had Andrew Symonds, Brett Lee and a 'motor-mouth' youngster in Michael Clarke. In Mumbai Indians, he found what he was looking for in Harbhajan Singh, Kieron Pollard and McClenaghan.
Players who love confrontation make for great television but most times, they have a tendency to overdo it. Ponting himself overdid it, many a times. Hence, he knew when to pull the rein on these mavericks.
Another aspect that works for coach Ponting is his ability to handle bloated egos. Back in the 2000s, he had a great team with the likes of Glenn McGrath, Shane Warne, Matthew Hayden and Adam Gilchrist. Each one of them were superstars in their own right and it made the world believe that as a captain Ponting's job was a cakewalk.
It wasn't.
A team filled with superstars is like the Big Brother's house. Big players have an uncanny awareness of their talent. They are supremely confident of their abilities and at times that awareness leads to arrogance. A captain needs to keep a lid on that melting pot. He needs to keep the egos in check and harness and channelise their special abilities on the correct path.
Ponting did that masterfully.
© AFP
The Mumbai Indians dugout had a similar feel. Not just the players, Ponting had the challenge of controlling the egos of his superstar back-room staff.
"The fewer voices, the better it is", said Ponting in his interview, "Full credit to Anil Kumble and Sachin Tendulkar for knowing when to take a step back and waiting to be spoken to rather than trying to impose themselves on the group."
In other words, back off, I am the boss!
As a batsman, Ponting burst on the international scene and was soon found out against quality spin. In the 1998 tour of India, Ponting scored just 105 runs at an average of 21.
It led to his ouster from the Australia Test side.
He worked his way back but the 2001 Test series against India saw him score just 17 runs in three Test matches.
Then, Ponting version 2.0 came into being and after usurping the captaincy from Steve Waugh, the right-hander from Tasmania unleashed himself on world cricket. With years, he just got better and showed the world the value of improvement.
Ponting's policy of improvement rubbed off on the likes of Ambati Rayudu and Hardik Pandya. Rayudu, the eternal under-achiever, finally delivered on the big stage while Pandya, an unknown kid from Baroda, took the tournament by storm.
People have often complained about the lack of his tactical expertise but Ponting was not only just a captain, he was a leader of men. He believed in leading from the front and setting examples for the ones following him.
As a coach, the Ponting trademark remains the same - back the players and stick the neck out when the crunch is on.
At the beginning of the tournament, the entire social media poked fun at and trolled Mumbai's glamorous back-room staff.
They forgot something - Ricky Ponting wins, almost always!