LUCKNOW: Punjab Kings head coach Ricky Ponting has downplayed suggestions that external noise or social media controversy has contributed to the team's slump, emphasizing that the six-match losing streak is due to on-field lapses and not distractions.
"I don't think anything externally has interrupted us as a team. I'm not a big social media guy anyway. Of the stuff that has been happening, I'm probably oblivious to," Ponting said on the eve of Punjab's do-or-die IPL clash against LSG.
"All I can do and control is the behaviour of the team and the way that the team prepares and the way that it plays," he added.
Ponting said the downturn began after the washout against Kolkata Knight Riders and insisted the margins have been fine. "From that moment on we've just been a little bit off. And as I said, these are small things. There are one or two balls or an over here and there that we quite conceivably could have won another three or four games, but we've only got ourselves to blame for that," he explained.
The former Australia captain also praised skipper Shreyas Iyer, calling his leadership a key positive in the campaign. "He has been brilliant. It's no secret that I wanted to work with him again, having worked with him for a long time in Delhi," Ponting said.
"Shreyas has had a good tournament himself with the bat. His leadership around the group has been exceptional. He is a very mature cricketer now. I think he's a very mature leader now," Ponting added.
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About the Author: Fazal Khan has been with TOI since 2018, covering sports across disciplines in Uttar Pradesh. He has reported on the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023, IPL seasons, and Davis Cup ties, alongside impactful human interest stories. A shooting enthusiast and horse rider, he loves adventurous forest drives.
