Ponting credits players MI players after their win over CSK

Ponting was modest when he admitted that the turnaround had nothing to do with him

Mumbai Indians coach Ricky Ponting has hailed his players after their win over the Chennai Super Kings last night which pushed them into the top 4 for the first time this season after they lost their first four matches.

Speaking to iplt20.com after the win, he was modest when he admitted that he had nothing to do with his team’s turnaround. "It has been a great turnaround, but it has nothing to do with me, full credit should be given to the players. We have worked really hard from the first game but things didn't quite go to plan. We knew that if we can string a couple of wins together, we will be able to come back strong. In the first four games, we actually played some reasonable cricket, but we lost some important moments which cost us. I think we have started to play more like a team now," he said.

Praises openers

He also went on to hail the team’s opening batsmen who have been putting up some consistent scores in the last few matches. "The opening partnership was the one area where we tried different things in the first three games to find the right combination. Barring the game against Delhi Daredevils, our starts with the bat have been particularly good and we need to build that platform for the likes of Rohit Sharma, Ambati Rayudu and Kieron Pollard to come and finish things off well. Lendl Simmons and Parthiv Patel have done that. Parthiv's form in particular throughout this tournament has been very good. He hasn't been getting big scores but he has got us to a good start in every game."

"I think Mitchell McClenaghan has given us more wicket-taking firepower. Our spinners, J Suchith and Harbhajan Singh have been great," Ponting said. "This is a big win for the team. But as big as it is, we still have three more games coming up and we need to win them to give ourselves a chance to qualify for the playoffs. We cannot afford to get carried away but I am really proud of the way the guys have fared in the last five games."

Mumbai Indians face the Royal Challengers Bangalore at the Wankhede stadium in their next match on Sunday.