Ponting dismisses coaching manual

For a player who traded the classroom for the cricket pitch during his schooling days, it's no surprise Ricky Ponting has thrown out the manual when it comes to coaching.

Ponting is a third of the way through his second season at the helm of Indian Premier League franchise Mumbai Indians having guided the club to the title last year.

Mumbai endured a rocky to start to their title defence as they did in Ponting's inaugural season behind the wheel but have since bounced back to sit in fourth spot on the IPL ladder with six wins from 11 matches.

Throughout the campaign Ponting has shown the tactical nous that made him Australia's most successful captain hasn't waned in his role as head coach.

"It's all about gut feel," Ponting told cricbuzz.

"I have a good understanding of the game and what we need at different times.

"Little things that we've done in this tournament, like having Mitchell McClenaghan to bat at No.4 in the second game at Kolkata.

"That was just to go out and change the momentum against the spinners.

"Even Krunal Pandya has been moved up the order at times for the same reason.

"While these things are happening, the coaching staff is always out there, watching from the sidelines on how to improvise constantly.

"The idea is to keep figuring what is needed and find solutions. For me, there is no coaching manual." 

Ponting's first-class playing days ended three years ago when he signed off in style with a farewell century batting for Surrey in England county championship.

In that time he's played the odd Twenty20 match, become an expert commentator, and is now forging a career as a coach in the shortest format of the game.

He says the hardest part of coaching is not being able to directly influence a game like he so often did during his decorated 20-year career.

"You can't go on the field and get things done," Ponting said. "You have to stay outside the boundary and hope for the best.

"I've said that a few times in this tournament already.

"When I was a player or captain, I always knew there was something I could do to change the course of the game - whether it was taking a catch or effecting a run-out or playing an innings as a batsman.

"But now, sitting outside the boundary line, all you can do is hope that whatever planning or strategising has gone into the game while preparing for it, the guys on the field execute it and pull off a victory."

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And Ponting, who played 168 Tests for Australia, says the frenetic pace of T20 cricket makes it the hardest of the three formats to coach.

"In T20, things are happening by the ball and you have to be so well planned," he said.

"I doubt if the regular cricket fan who sits and watches every T20 game on television is able to figure the strategy and tactics that go into a game.

"Test cricket is a tactical game but it's played over five days where, even if you're down on day one, you have the space to bounce back.

"More importantly, in Test cricket, you're working on one set plan for a longer period of time.

"Here, it's every ball. As a coach you can't afford to have any one thing that could surprise you in the game."