Ricky Ponting is quite clear on what he wants: Delhi Capitals' pacer Anrich Nortje

Delhi Capitals started the second half of the VIVO IPL 2021 season on a positive note, defeating Sunrisers Hyderabad by eight wickets on Wednesday. The Delhi side will be keen to continue their winning momentum when they take on Rajasthan Royals at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi on Saturday. Having accumulated 14 points from nine matches, Delhi franchise have been one of the teams to watch out for in this IPL so far. They are inching ever closer to a playoff spot on the back of their impressive run in the tournament till now. Looking forward to their next clash, Delhi Capitals’ fast bowler Anrich Nortje, who was the player of the match in the game against SRH, reckons that Rajasthan Royals will pose a good challenge to the Delhi franchise.

“We’ll have to quickly assess the conditions in Abu Dhabi and see what we need to do. It’s not going to be an easy game and the heat will be a major factor as well. Hopefully, we can just control our skills and focus on what we need to do. It’s going to be a very good challenge for us and I am really looking forward to it,” said the 27-year-old during a virtual conference on Friday.

Anrich Nortje on Ricky Ponting

Anrich Nortje only had good words to describe his experience of working with head coach Ricky Ponting. Nortje said, “It’s great having Ricky Ponting in our camp. I love his chats and he breaks things down very nicely and makes everything easy to understand. He’s quite clear on what he wants. I am trying to learn as much as possible from him. We enjoy working with him and hopefully, we can grow as a unit with him.”

Nortje, who recorded the top eight fastest deliveries of the IPL 2021 season in only one match with the fastest being 151.71 km/h, asserted that he doesn’t search for high speed on the field. “I don’t think about bowling speeds on the field but I do think about it when I am doing my strength training. High speed is not something I search for on the field. I just try to hit the right lengths while bowling during a game,” Anrich Nortje explained.

When asked if he has shared some tricks of the trade with young fast bowler Avesh Khan, the South African said, “Some of us have been looking at how Avesh is landing his yorkers and how he has been going about things. He has been so good for us. It was especially nice to see him land his yorkers in the first half of the season in India. It’s been so nice to see him progress as a bowler. All in all, he has got a lot of skill and I think he has got a bright future ahead of him.”