Ricky Ponting, coach of the Delhi Capitals, recently discussed his relationship with Sourav Ganguly.
For over a decade, Australia was the undisputed cricket champion of the globe. During this time, the team also won the ODI World Cup three times in a row. After Ricky Ponting eclipsed Steve Waugh with consecutive World Cup victories in 2003 and 2007, Australia won for a record third time under Ponting’s leadership. During Australia’s reign, only India under Sourav Ganguly posed a serious challenge. Ponting and Ganguly clashed frequently, most notably during the 2008 Sydney Test when Ponting claimed a dubious catch.
Ponting and Ganguly appeared to have put their prior disagreements behind them.
Sourav Ganguly is the Director of the Delhi Capitals (DC) IPL franchise and Ricky Ponting is the head coach.
In an interview for the DC podcast, Ponting discussed his relationship with Ganguly throughout his time with the organization. According to the 48-year-old, Ganguly was more of an opponent when Steve Waugh was Australia’s captain.
When Steve Waugh was captain, he was a more formidable opponent. They were a cut above Sourav and me in terms of sass. We’ve played a lot of games against each other and even captained opposite teams in the World Cup final. But in 2019, when everything began to shift, he was working with DC. He spent the last few years in the highest office possible and is now back with us. We get along great because we both understand the big picture for this club and what we need to do to help DC succeed,” said Ponting.
Ponting reflected on his time as Mumbai Indians captain under Harbhajan Singh, whom he regarded as one of his fiercest competitors.
Even if we’re not particularly close, we need to put our differences aside and work together towards a common goal if we want to succeed as a team. Put the past in the past since it has already happened. When I visited Mumbai, Harbhajan was one of my main opponents on the cricket pitch. The very next second, I’ll be his captain and marching inside MI. I’m going to hug him and catch off his bowling! That’s the best part about the Indian Premier League. He continued, “And now that you’re working with those guys, the international rivalries are probably not as strong.”
So far in IPL 2023, DC has had a terrible season, losing seven of its 11 matches. They have sunk to the very bottom of the standings.
