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David Warner-led Delhi Capitals (DC) once again failed to put up a fight and suffered their third consecutive loss in Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023. A visibly upset head coach Ricky Ponting is finding it difficult to digest the losing streak as he feels that the players are “long way off” on the field but the preparation has been solid.
"We are a long way off right now and I can't put my finger on why. If I watch these boys train and prepare, their work has been really good but it hasn't just come across as any results yet on the field. So if I could put my finger on it, I would change it," Ponting told the media after 57-run loss to Rajasthan Royals (RR).
Ponting admitted the fact that their playing combinations have not worked so far.
"We have to think about players we are putting on ground as what we have put in hasn't worked, as a coaching group we will talk with our captain and take a call," Ponting said.
Prithvi Shaw played as an impact player against RR and got caught behind for a four-ball duck by Trent Boult. He feels it wasn’t Kiwi left-arm pacer’s speed that worried him.
"I don't think it's the pace. I don't think Trent Boult's pace worried him. I think the moving ball worried him today. If you guys watched him bat yesterday at nets, he looked a million dollars, his preparation was good," he said.
"May be it's something to think that he has got poor record against left handers, which every opposition knows and something that we need to work with him.
"We won't point finger at one person and that's not what we do at DC, we are in this all together and we have to find a better way to play as 11 or 12," he added.
Ponting also revealed why Khaleel Ahmed was taken off the attack after the expensive first over. He said that it was because of hamstring injury he did not bowl his quota of four overs which were bowled by Rovman Powell.
The former Australian captain also feels that there is a need to do some soul searching after three one-sided affairs in a row.
"We need to do some soul searching as a group and may be not tonight as I will let the boys think about it tonight and may be come back tomorrow or day after," the 48-year-old said.
"But we need to turn around our cricket quickly and three games and no wins, you can't afford to get bad starts in IPL."
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