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“I think it was the right decision”: Ricky Pointing defends promoting Marcus Stoinis in IPL 2021 Qualifier-2

Rishikesh Sharma
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Marcus Stoinis was promoted at the number three position by Delhi Capitals in the IPL 2021 Qualifier-2. The decision was heavily criticized as the Aussie all-rounder struggled a lot.

Marcus Stoinis was promoted at the number three position by Delhi Capitals in the IPL 2021 Qualifier-2. The decision was heavily criticized as the Aussie all-rounder struggled a lot.

When Rishabh Pant revealed during the toss that Marcus Stoinis is playing the Qualifier-2, the Delhi Capitals fans took a huge sigh of relief. However, Stoinis played a struggling knock of 18 runs in 23 balls and didn’t even bowl a single over in the game. In the end, Delhi Capitals lost the game by three wickets, and they were knocked out of the tournament.

Ricky Ponting defends promotion of Marcus Stoinis

On a sluggish Sharjah wicket, the idea of promoting Stoinis above Shreyas Iyer was criticized heavily. Iyer is considered a brilliant player of spin, whereas Stoinis generally isn’t a good player of spin bowling.

However, Ponting defended the decision of promoting Marcus Stoinis. He said, “We thought long and hard about where Marcus’ best spot would be in the batting order today,” “We desperately wanted him in the team today because we knew he could bat at the top of the order, but we also knew he could bat at the death if required”.

Ponting added, “I think it was the right decision, we probably didn’t get the outcome we were after though.”

Marcus Stoinis in IPL 2021

Stoinis was brilliant in IPL 2020 for the Delhi Capitals. but he struggled completely in IPL 2021. He scored mere 89 runs in 10 games, whereas he scalped two wickets in bowling. He missed six games of this season due to an injury.

Huge Relief for Australian T20 World Side

Marcus Stoinis is an important part of the Australian T20 World Cup side, and his return is a huge relief for them. Stoinis injured his hamstring during IPL 2021 UAE leg and that created a stir in the Australian camp.

Stoinis is said to be recovering well, and he should be able to bowl in the T20 World Cup. He will now join the bio-bubble of Australia in Abu Dhabi, where the rest of the team has already assembled.

About the author

Rishikesh Sharma

Rishikesh Sharma

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An engineering graduate and an ardent sports fan, Rishikesh Sharma is covering cricket for three years now after not making peace with a corporate life and has written more than 5000 articles. While Sourav Ganguly made him fall in love with the sport, Brendon McCullum and Gautam Gambhir enhanced it. Apart from cricket, Rishikesh is a huge fan of Liverpool FC. When not watching sports, you will find him riding around Jaipur.

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