"Since childhood, I have kept my preparation...": PBKS' Wadhera on batting position

Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], April 24 (ANI): As his team prepares to play Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), the defending champions on Saturday at Kolkata, Punjab Kings (PBKS) batter Nehal Wadhera spoke on his preparation for batting in the middle-order for his francfhise this time around, saying that since childhood, he has prepared himself to play in every situation.
Wadhera was speaking to the media ahead of his side's match against defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at Eden Gardens in Kolkata. PBKS is at the fifth spot with five wins and three losses, giving them 10 points. On the other hand, KKR is struggling, having won just three of their eight matches and standing in seventh spot in the points table.
Speaking to the media, Wadhera said, "If you look at the last two years, when I played for Mumbai, my batting was very flexible, there was no fixed position. Sometimes I have opened, sometimes I have two-downed, sometimes 3, 4, 5, 6. So, my preparation has also been the same since childhood, that I do not have any fixed order, because wherever I get a chance, I want to do well. So, I have kept my preparation like this since childhood that I should know how to play every situation. So, I think that is what is helping me, and what you are saying that my role is very crucial this year."
In the season so far in PBKS colours, Wadhera has largely batted at number five, sometimes at four. For the Mumbai Indians (MI) in 2023-24, his entry spot was largely six or seven.
Wadhera also spoke about his head coach, Ricky Ponting and skipper Shreyas Iyer. About Ponting, Nehal said that conversations with the Aussie legend are mainly about his expectations from the left-hander as a batter.
"I spoke to him individually and I asked him, Coach, where are you looking for me? Like, what number are you looking for me? Where are you expecting me to bat? So, he told me. But he also told me that your order can be flexible as well as you play spin well. So, I was pretty okay with that, and I kept my preparations accordingly."
"I think the camps that we had in Dharamshala, along with Ricky Ponting. So, I think he gave us a decent amount of tips and also used them to boost our confidence. And I think those camps really helped us," he added.
Wadhera also said that Iyer and Ponting have been bonding well with each other and with the team, and that has kept the team together.
"I mean, when I came to the Punjab Kings, I never felt that, you know, I am a new guy who is joining a team. But I always felt like a family here. So, I think these are the things that give confidence to a player and give security to a player, you know, that you can play freely. And I think I am getting this very well here with Shreyas Iyer and Ricky Ponting."
"So, I am really happy. And if you talk about Shreyas Iyer, then he is definitely a very good captain. You all know from his batting that how he wins the match. But the way he changes the ball inside changes the field, it shows that he is very involved and always thinks for the team. He is always, you know, a team man. He always thinks for the team rather than his own performance. So, I think if a captain is with you like this, I think there is just positive energy all around," he concluded. (ANI)