Former World Cup-winning skipper Ricky Ponting showed complete sympathy for Glenn Maxwell’s struggle in the IPL. Ponting said that the constant tag of being a star of RCB has made him take a break from IPL.
Maxwell himself asked the franchise management for the rest after his poor form in this year’s IPL, following a string of low scores.
Ricky Ponting said, “For someone like Glenn on that team (RCB), he being one of the ‘Big Dogs’ along with Virat, a lot of pressure comes on a couple of players playing on that team. If they don’t perform, the results tend to not follow them.”
Royal Challengers Bangaluru are currently placed at the bottom of the table, winning just one out of seven matches. Ponting said,. “If you see what they have done in the tournament so far, pressure builds up on individual players as well. I read that article this morning that Glenn wants to step aside, just have a few games off, and try and refresh.”
Ponting also spoke about individual coping mechanisms. Ponting said, “Every individual is different, right? Some guys would want to get going and push through that and get some runs on board, and thus that will change their way of thinking about the game, and some guys need to step back and have a break.”
Ponting also feels that it is the duty of the coach to prioritize players mental health.
Speaking about the same, Ricky Ponting said, “That’s why one needs to be really understanding as a coach now that for anyone who is around the cricket team, their health, well-being, and welfare are something you think about first.” Ponting believes that for elite athletes, it is important to have their loved ones around them, as they are central to their success and failure.
“With more and more cricket being played, a lot of times you are away from home when you play international sports. You are away from all the things that make you happy; that certainly is the biggest part of what we do, coaching or playing.”
Ricky Ponting further added, “I am lucky to have my family now, and I have had them here for a few weeks. It makes it a bit easier for me to spend a lot of time away from my family.”
