Ricky Ponting is an aggressive person. Aggression runs in his veins. It drives his life. It made him one of the greatest batsmen the game of cricket has seen and the most successful captain his country has ever had.

Now, Ponting will wear a new hat. It will have the words, ‘head coach’ embossed on it – figuratively but firmly. The iconic Australian leader will now be an Indian mentor – a Mumbai Indian mentor. The hat will be different – in colour and in designation – but the man inside it will be the same. He will be aggressive.

“That’s in my nature, the aggression,” Ponting told IPLT20.COM. “And that’s the way I’ll be telling the boys to play. I think this game is all about taking the positive approach all the time; not sitting back and waiting for something to happen but being proactive and making things happen. That’s how I played and that’s how I’ll be coaching as well.”

As captain and senior member of the teams he played in, Ponting expected high standards of dedication and discipline from the men around him. He led them – with runs off his bat, excellence in the field and astounding work ethic behind the scenes. When the desired results were achieved, the same man led the celebrations as well.

That is exactly how he intends to operate as a coach – a perfect combination of a good and bad cop. I will be a hard taskmaster,” Ponting said. “I’ll make sure the players know where they stand but at the same time have some fun as well.

“I believe that throughout my playing career, one positive thing was my work ethic, how hard I worked on my game and prepared for every single match. I’ll ensure that all our guys do the same. When it’s time to celebrate I’ll make sure they do that as well. It is an important part of any team.”

The week leading up to the 2015 IPL Player Auction was an unusual one for Ponting. He has experienced the IPL before, with Mumbai Indians, as their captain in 2013 and advisor in 2014. But this is the first time he was actively involved in the planning and strategising phase before the auction and then attend it.

‘Interesting’ is how Ponting describes his maiden IPL Auction. “I arrived in Mumbai the last Monday night. We had a few days of planning down there and got to Bangalore on Saturday to do a bit more planning on the auction,” he said.
“I didn’t really know what to expect but it was actually very interesting to see how it worked and to learn the dynamics of the auction. We ended up doing pretty well; we hit most of the marks we were after.”

The IPL Player Auction was Ponting’s first step into the new journey, and the one that has convinced him the rest of the path will be not be a dull one. The fact that he has been part of the MI setup in the past makes the Australian feel comfortable going into his new role.

“I am really excited about it. I had a great time with the Mumbai Indians the last time in 2013 where we were lucky enough to win the IPL. I really enjoyed my time with the team and I found the people around the franchise and the players to be excellent,” Ponting said of his colleagues at the MI.

“We have retained most of the support staff, which will make it easier for me to settle in as the coach. We also have Shane Bond joining as the bowling coach, which is very exciting.”

Coaching an IPL team can unnerve even the most seasoned coaches. The pressures are of a different kind. Unlike an international or state team, where the accountability of the team is limited to the boards and fans, in the IPL there are also the team owners to answer – the people who have invested millions of dollars in the franchise, the people for whom the tournament is as much business as it is cricket.

For someone who doesn’t have any experience of coaching a team at any level, heading an IPL team could be extremely overwhelming. But Ponting has a unique advantage over the other head coaches in that he has played in this tournament and he understands its modus operandi.

It puts him at a vantage point of looking at various aspects of the game from the perspective of the men on the field as he leads them from behind the curtains.

“It will probably help,” Ponting said. “I was involved in the full season in 2013 and for a few games last year. So, I know how the tournament works.

“Another thing that has kept me close to T20 cricket is that I have been commentating on T20 tournaments back home in Australia. So, I am pretty aware of the tactical side of things and how the game has progressed. I have been able to stay close to the format because I have been watching T20 cricket most of the time.”

While Ponting cannot wait to embark on his coaching journey, he doesn’t promise that this undertaking will be the beginning of a full-fledged coaching career.

“I don’t see that happening anytime in the near future. If you’re a full-time coach, you have to spend so much time away from home, which I am not prepared to do right now with a young family. That’s where tournaments like the IPL auger well. It’s only a couple of months and the family can come over for a break as well. Coaching an international team, you’re away from home for nine-10 months and that is too much for me.”