IANS/Sydney

Australia’s two-time World Cup winning captain Ricky Ponting said India were a “very dangerous “ team and a serious contender to retain the coveted trophy.
“India have got too many class players in their team to not be serious contenders at some stage. If they happen to play as well as they can, they are very dangerous,” the former batsman was quoted as saying by bccitv.com.
“I think they will get better, it was a very encouraging start for them the other day, although I thought it was a pretty weak Pakistani side,” Ponting said, referring to India’s emphatic win over Pakistan in their lung-opener Sunday.
The 40-year-old, who was instrumental in getting Australia the World Cup in 2003 with his knock of 140 against India in the final at Johannesburg, said the men in blue had a tough time in the Test and tri-series leading upto the big event this time, but hoped the tune up after the dismal tour has been utilised well.
“India got into the World Cup after a tough time in the Test series and the tri-series. But I got a feeling that they got a bit of a downtime after that and started to build things up at the start of this tournament,” he said adding he would still put his bet on his country to lift the trophy for a record fifth time.
“I think Australia are favourites.”
Ponting will wear a new hat. It will have the words, ‘head coach’ embossed on it – figuratively but firmly. The iconic Australian leader will now be an Indian mentor – a Mumbai Indian mentor. The hat will be different – in colour and in designation – but the man inside it will be the same. He will be aggressive.
“That’s in my nature, the aggression,” Ponting told IPLT20.COM. “And that’s the way I’ll be telling the boys to play. I think this game is all about taking the positive approach all the time; not sitting back and waiting for something to happen but being proactive and making things happen. That’s how I played and that’s how I’ll be coaching as well.”
As captain and senior member of the teams he played in, Ponting expected high standards of dedication and discipline from the men around him. He led them – with runs off his bat, excellence in the field and astounding work ethic behind the scenes. When the desired results were achieved, the same man led the celebrations as well.
That is exactly how he intends to operate as a coach – a perfect combination of a good and bad cop. I will be a hard taskmaster,” Ponting said. “I’ll make sure the players know where they stand but at the same time have some fun as well.
“I believe that throughout my playing career, one positive thing was my work ethic, how hard I worked on my game and prepared for every single match. I’ll ensure that all our guys do the same. When it’s time to celebrate I’ll make sure they do that as well. It is an important part of any team.”
The week leading up to the 2015 IPL Player Auction was an unusual one for Ponting. He has experienced the IPL before, with Mumbai Indians, as their captain in 2013 and advisor in 2014. But this is the first time he was actively involved in the planning and strategising phase before the auction and then attend it.
‘Interesting’ is how Ponting describes his maiden IPL Auction. “I arrived in Mumbai the last Monday night. We had a few days of planning down there and got to Bangalore on Saturday to do a bit more planning on the auction,” he said.
“I didn’t really know what to expect but it was actually very interesting to see how it worked and to learn the dynamics of the auction. We ended up doing pretty well; we hit most of the marks we were after.”
The IPL Player Auction was Ponting’s first step into the new journey, and the one that has convinced him the rest of the path will be not be a dull one. The fact that he has been part of the MI setup in the past makes the Australian feel comfortable going into his new role.
“I am really excited about it. I had a great time with the Mumbai Indians the last time in 2013 where we were lucky enough to win the IPL. I really enjoyed my time with the team and I found the people around the franchise and the players to be excellent,” Ponting said of his colleagues at the MI.
“We have retained most of the support staff, which will make it easier for me to settle in as the coach. We also have Shane Bond joining as the bowling coach, which is very exciting.”