Ricky Ponting – If you’ve got aggressive, powerful batsmen, they can change their game to play the anchor role

Virat Kohli’s 55 off 46 balls in a losing cause against Delhi Capitals have fuelled the ongoing discussion on the “dying” role of anchors in the T20 format while Ricky Ponting, the head coach of Delhi, also expressed his concerns over the future of anchoring in T20s earlier in the season.

Virat Kohli’s 55 off 46 balls in a losing cause against Delhi Capitals have fuelled the ongoing discussion on the “dying” role of anchors in the T20 format. 

Chasing 182, Phil Salt put on a master class of T20 batting by going all out from the first ball to ensure Delhi reached the target with 20 balls to spare. In contrast to the home team’s approach, RCB reaches 23 for no loss in the first four overs before exploding to finish with 51 in the power play.

Given the underwhelming performance of the middle order, Kohli’s approach of “taking the game deep” was understandable, but it may have cost them 20 extra runs for what would have been a winning total at the Feroz Shah Kotla. He scored 19 of the first 18 balls he faced.

The game is changing rapidly, and this IPL has already recorded the most seasons with 200-plus totals scored. To remain competitive in the shortest format, batters are attempting to strengthen their skills.

The boom-or-bust approach is now essential, and Salt exemplified it on Saturday night.

Ricky Ponting, the head coach of Delhi, also expressed his concerns over the future of anchoring in T20s earlier in the season.

“I’m a believer in, you know, if you’ve got aggressive, powerful batsman, they can change their game to play the anchor role, but anchor role players can very rarely change to be that 200 strike rate. The only one I can think of this year is Rahane,”

the Australian legend had said ahead of the Sunrisers game.

“I feel probably that anchor role is dying off a little bit, but it also just comes down to how you’re going on the day as an individual batsman. Sometimes you just don’t get off to the start that you want to and therefore you’re almost sort of forced to play a different role.

“It’s a day-by-day thing, but I think the actual role of someone batting an opening or batting at number three and trying to bat through the entire innings I think that’s dying off.” 

Faf du Plessis, captain of the RCB, thought 181 was a par score but quickly added that an over of 15 or 20 runs likely may have determined the outcome of the match. The power play offered the possibility of that significant over.

Kohli went about his business and scored his sixth half-century of the season while Mahipal Lomror’s fearlessness allowed RCB to score 181.

After his best knock of the IPL in over six seasons, the Rajasthan batter explained the team’s tactics when he and Kohli were in the middle.

“The plan was simple when Virat Bhaiya and I were batting, he will try to take the game deep and I will push for a boundary of two in every over. The ball was turning a bit but I took some risks and it paid off,”

said Lomror referring to the couple of sixes he collected off Kuldeep Yadav.

He also feels anchoring an innings remains an important part of the game.

“In any game, it is not easy for a new batter to hit from ball one irrespective of the wicket. It makes a huge difference if someone has played 30-40 balls compared to a new batter.

“That is why anchor becomes important. When a settled batter is in the middle, the chances are higher that he will get more boundaries in the end that the new batter,”

said Lomror.

He felt they put up a good total considering the conditions however; the bowlers could have performed better.

With four games remaining and the playoff race heating, RCB cannot afford to make a mistake, and going into the next game, they might be better suited to taking an all-out approach.