IPL 2022: 'Ponting put his arms around my shoulders and said, 'One day you will play for India'': Former Delhi youngster

IPL 2022: India's 25-year-old youngster recalled his time at Delhi Capitals and how coach Ricky Ponting’s words ignited a fire inside him.

Say what you may about the IPL, but the Indian Premier League has been responsible for shaping the careers of some of India’s biggest match-winners. It was in the IPL that Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya honed their skills to make their India debuts and go on to establish themselves as proven performers. Besides, the fact that Rohit Sharma is today the captain of the Indian team wouldn’t have been possible had he not become the IPL’s most successful captain having led Mumbai Indians to unprecedented five titles.

Delhi Capitals head coach Ricky Ponting.  (IPL)

Last year was another example of youngsters coming to the fore. The reason belonged to Ruturaj Gaikwad, who scored 635 runs and won the Orange Cap. Besides, Harshal Patel emerged as a top player with a tally of 32 wickets and walking away with the Purple Cap. Another youngster that made quite an impact was Avesh Khan, who represented the Delhi Capitals and was second in the list of leading wicket-takers, finishing with 24 wickets. Currently with the Lucknow Super Giants, Avesh recalled his time at DC and how coach Ricky Ponting’s words ignited a fire inside him.

“Ahead of my first match for Delhi Capitals, Ricky Ponting put his arms around my shoulders and said, ‘One day you will play for India. This is your time. Now you have to prove yourself because you have been with Delhi for the last four years.’ He has always backed me. It’s not like because I did not play, I would only bowl in the nets. He would always encourage me. He would ask me to be ready for my chance because I always belonged in that group of 12-13 players who would get selected. Somehow, I could never make it in the Playing XI but last year, from the first match itself, I was in the XI and I was able to prove them right,” Avesh told Boria Majumdar on the show ‘Backstage with Boria’.

After being sidelined for the last several seasons, Avesh was part of the Capitals’ Playing XI from the very beginning of IPL 2021 and ended up playing all the matches for the franchise. He bowled quick, and with variations – including a sublime slower ball – and dismissed MS Dhoni and Faf du Plessis in the first match he featured in. The rest, as they say is history. Ponting’s prediction came true when Avesh made his India debut in February during the T20I series against West Indies.

“I always believed in the hard work which I had put in. My aim was to cement my place in the XI, play all matches and help the team win matches. All I needed was an opportunity to prove myself because as a player, if you play in the team from the first match itself, you become its main player. In a tournament like IPL, I got to play from the first match itself so I had a great chance to show what I was capable of. In the first match itself, I dismissed Mahi bhai (MS Dhoni) and Faf du Plessis and that went a long way in boosting my confidence,” added Avesh.