'I'm not batting today': Ricky Ponting opens up on Prithvi Shaw's refusal to train during IPL 2020

Delhi Capitals coach and former Australian skipper Ricky Ponting on Monday revealed that Prithvi Shaw refused to bat at nets when he was going through a torrid run of form during Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 in the UAE while hoping that the youngster has changed his training approach ahead of IPL 2021, scheduled to start from April 9.

While Shaw averaged just 17.53 in 13 matches during IPL 2020, the youngster has roared back to form during the Indian domestic season in 2021.

Ponting has said that he tried to help Shaw out with his technical frailties with the bat but added that the youngster didn’t want to bat at nets when he was completely out of form during IPL 2020 as he said he couldn’t really work that theory out.

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"I've tried (taking Shaw under his wing) the last two years and I've really enjoyed working with him," Ponting told cricket.com.au before departing for India. "I've had some really interesting chats with him through last year's IPL, just trying to break him down, trying to find out exactly what was the right way to coach him and how I was going to get the best out of him.

"But he had an interesting theory on his batting last year – when he's not scoring runs, he won't bat, and when he is scoring runs, he wants to keep batting all the time.

"He had four or five games where he made under 10 and I'm telling him, 'We have to go to the nets and work out (what's wrong)', and he looked me in the eye and said, 'No, I'm not batting today'.

"I couldn't really work that out.

"He might have changed. I know he's done a lot of work over the last few months, that theory that he had might have changed, and hopefully it has, because if we can get the best out of him, he could be a superstar player."

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With Delhi Capitals skipper Shreyas Iyer out of IPL 2021 due to shoulder injury, DC would hope that Shaw fires all cylinders with the willow. In the Vijay Hazare Trophy, Shaw hammered a staggering 827 runs including four centuries in eight innings. The change in form came after the Test tour of Australia, where he was dropped after the opening Test. Shaw had admitted that he felt "worthless" and suffered the "saddest day of my life" when he got the news of losing his spot.

"I was going pretty hard at him," said the former Australia captain. "I was basically telling him, 'Mate you've got to get in the nets. Whatever you think you're working on, is not working for you'."

"It's my job as a coach to challenge someone's preparation if they're not getting results. So I challenged him and he stuck to his word and he didn't practice much at all towards the back-end of the tournament, and didn't get many runs towards the back-end of the tournament either."

Shaw’s batting technique was scrutinized by many including the likes of Sachin Tendulkar and Ponting, who believes Shaw has the ability to become a superstar. Ponting further said that he hasn’t seen many more talented players than Shaw in his entire career.

"Maybe (his training habits) have changed for the better, because (his success) won't just be for the Delhi Capitals, I'm sure you'll see him play a lot of cricket for India as well in the coming years," said Ponting.

"He's diminutive … in the (Sachin) Tendulkar sort of mould but hits the ball incredibly powerfully off front and back foot, and plays spin really well.

"If we can get him to take that form that he's just shown into the IPL, it just makes the balance on our Delhi Capital side so good.

"If (the penny) does drop – I'm not sure I've seen many more talented players than him in my whole time of playing the game."