The spot fixing controversies overshadowed the Mumbai Indians finally winning the IPL crown, with their triumph as forgotten as the role Ricky Ponting played in it.
“Ricky was absolutely terrific, I have never seen someone so committed at the age of 40, despite been not part of the XI,” said Aditya Tare, one of the young Indian batsmen Ponting mentored during the long season.
If words are not enough, it took only a few incidents to showcase Ponting’s desire to put the team ahead of himself.
First was the commitment he displayed while the team warmed up before the match.
The group would start with a light jog, then a run followed by a sprint. Despite being double the age of some of his colleagues, Ponting would still be one of the first to cross the line.
Tare said, “He set the precedence for all of us to follow. He would joke around and say ‘come on try beat me, I bet you can’t.’
“For us youngsters, we knew we were long way of his batting skills but his fitness was amazing. He was such a great motivator.”
Not only did Ponting have influence on the youngsters but his tips proved valuable for the man who took over the Mumbai Indians captaincy, Rohit Sharma:
“Ricky told me he does not feel satisfied until he has hit over 100 balls exactly as he wants to, I mean everyone has their own style but it shows his dedication and what brought him success over the years.”
In the past Sharma has been known for his lazy attitude but throughout the IPL, during the training sessions, he would follow Ponting’s advice.
First it was plenty of throw-downs, then he would hit the nets and then follow it up with another throw-down session. This process would nearly take two hours, but Ponting’s advice was rubbing off on Sharma.
But perhaps the most significant input was his sheer desire to drop himself to ensure team success. It was this action that gained Ponting respect among some of the senior peers among the Mumbai Indians.
There was also some evidence of Ponting’s minor contributions on live TV. In the match against Rajasthan Royals, Mumbai Indians batsman Ambati Rayudu walked off the field after his knock and was asked to come forward for an interview in the innings break.
The innings interval is short and Rayudu initially wanted to take his equipment off and put in in the dressing room, but the TV channel only had a short window.
Standing next to him was Ponting, who saw the confusion and picked up Rayudu’s bat and gloves, lying beside him, gave Rayudu a wink to gesture he would take them up so Rayudu could take his time.
There were other players within the vicinity but none of them offered such a service.
It told the whole story of Ricky Ponting’s contribution during the IPL. Here was an man arguably in the top five batsmen cricket has produced, doing the job of not only a 12th man but a Mumbai coolie.
Tendulkar might be considered a true gentleman and perhaps it’s this stature that puts him ahead of Ponting overall, but would Tendulkar or any other legend of the game be caught in such an act? No wonder all the counties around the world just want to have Punter around.
He might have lost a respect of a few during his playing days with his on and off field incidents, but he is certainly a more team orientated person than any other past and current legends.
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