‘Tendulkar & I need to play better’
19 April 2013 12:43 AM GMT
Having slumped to their worst defeat in the tournament, Mumbai Indians skipper Ricky Ponting admitted his and Sachin Tendulkar’s poor form has affected the team’s performance in the ongoing IPL. Opening the batting, Ponting and Tendulkar have just managed two half-century stands together out of five games. As a matter of fact, on three occasions Mumbai lost its first wicket in the opening over.
And chasing a formidable 179, the openers failed yet again as Mumbai suffered a humiliating 87-run loss at the hands of Rajasthan Royals at the Sawai Man Singh Stadium on Wednesday. ‘The two guys at the top of the order haven’t done the job required off them by the team. We are five games into the tournament; both of us need to play better. If we want to continue winning games and if we want to be the team at the end of it that holds the trophy up, then you need everyone in the team performing more often than not. Neither of us has played as well as we would have liked. I’d expect a lot from myself from the first few games compared to what I have delivered,’ Ponting said at the post-match press conference.
While Ponting has scored just 52 runs from five innings, Tendulkar is marginally better, managing 69 from as many games. Ponting admitted they were outplayed by the Royals in all three departments of the game. ‘We can’t blame the wicket. It looks bad whenever any team is under pressure and plays bad cricket. It was good and Rajasthan Royals batted very well to post a good total. We have to concede that we were outplayed,’ said Ponting.
‘Our bowling did not adjust in the first few overs. The wicket probably did a bit more in the second half. We should have hung on a bit. It was a big chase and we could not bat according to plan. They used the conditions very well,’ added Ponting.
And chasing a formidable 179, the openers failed yet again as Mumbai suffered a humiliating 87-run loss at the hands of Rajasthan Royals at the Sawai Man Singh Stadium on Wednesday. ‘The two guys at the top of the order haven’t done the job required off them by the team. We are five games into the tournament; both of us need to play better. If we want to continue winning games and if we want to be the team at the end of it that holds the trophy up, then you need everyone in the team performing more often than not. Neither of us has played as well as we would have liked. I’d expect a lot from myself from the first few games compared to what I have delivered,’ Ponting said at the post-match press conference.
While Ponting has scored just 52 runs from five innings, Tendulkar is marginally better, managing 69 from as many games. Ponting admitted they were outplayed by the Royals in all three departments of the game. ‘We can’t blame the wicket. It looks bad whenever any team is under pressure and plays bad cricket. It was good and Rajasthan Royals batted very well to post a good total. We have to concede that we were outplayed,’ said Ponting.
‘Our bowling did not adjust in the first few overs. The wicket probably did a bit more in the second half. We should have hung on a bit. It was a big chase and we could not bat according to plan. They used the conditions very well,’ added Ponting.
Next Story
