Can’t wait to meet Ricky Ponting and ask him about the pull shot: Priyansh Arya

New Delhi, Jan 15 (PTI) When Priyansh Arya hit six sixes in an over last year, he mainly targeted the straight boundary. But when he joins the Punjab Kings IPL camp, it’s the pull shot that he wants to perfect with some help from head coach Ricky Ponting, who patented the stroke in his playing days.

Those half a dozen sixes off left-arm spinner Manan Bhardwaj’s one over in the inaugural Delhi Premier League put Arya under the spotlight and eventually led to the left-hander drawing a potentially life-changing Rs 3.8 crore winning bid from Punjab Kings, more than 12 times his base price of Rs 30 lakh.

It was as if the stars aligned for the 23-year-old at the mega auction as he made a belligerent hundred against UP in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy days before the high-profile event in Saudi Arabia.

Having been part of Punjab Kings’ first pre-season camp in Mumbai last week, Arya has already got the taste of the higher level and says he is bound to become a better player after his maiden season in the IPL, which begins on March 21.

Has life changed for the Delhi lad since the auction day?

“Life has not changed much since the auction. Yes, there is more interest from people and my expectations from myself have increased. The pre-season camp gave me a fair idea where I need to be come the IPL as I got to do things I have never done in training before.”

Arya got to chat with his IPL skipper Shreyas Iyer briefly during the Mumbai camp and apart from him, he is equally excited about spending time with Ponting.

“I have not had the chance to speak to Ricky sir. But when I get to meet him, the first thing I want to ask him is about the pull shot,” he said referring to one of the best exponents of the pull shot.

“I am also really excited about spending time with Iyer. I love the attitude of Iyer and Ricky sir, both on and off the field. I would also like to ask them about their mindset in highs and lows.

“Just by interacting with the best you can learn a lot, I have already experienced it (in the camp),” said Arya, whose parents teach in a government school in the national capital.

The IPL is still some time away and if he does get to open alongside Prabhsimran Singh, there will be immense pressure and scrutiny. Will his price tag also play on his mind?

“I am not thinking on those lines. For me it is just about learning from the best minds in the game.”

And what does he plan to do with the money?

“That (is something) my parents will decide,” pat came the response from Arya.

Growing up, he closely tracked the career of now India head coach Gautam Gambhi as they both came to the same academy in Delhi.

Arya loves Gambhir’s play against spin and he too has gone on to become a decent batter against the turning ball. No wonder those six sixes came off a spinner.

Besides Gambhir, Arya also draws inspiration from Sri Lankan great Kumar Sangakkara.

“Right from the beginning, I like to play down the ground. That is what I was thinking at that time (when he hit six sixes). I have followed Gautam bhaiya a lot. I loved how he used to play spin and that is what I tried to pick from him.

“Among overseas players, I like Kumar Sangakkara. I love his cover drive a lot though personally I like pull shot the most.”

The moment when his name came under the hammer will remain fresh in Arya’s memory forever.

“We were playing the domestic T20 (SMAT) and I was sitting in the hotel with my teammates. I could not express myself after Punjab made that winning bid.

“I did not know what do. My phone stopped working. I would have been happy at just being picked but to get this bid made me feel really good,” Arya recollected.

Arya made his T20 debut for Delhi in 2023 and List A in 2021, long before he achieved the memorable feat in the DPL last year. The southpaw looked back at his journey thus far.

“There were challenges. The year I made my debut I got to play only two games and was on the bench the rest of time. The year after I was dropped from the senior team. When I got the DPL stage, I told myself I have to be the best batter in the competition and that happened.”

He is yet to play first-class cricket and that his next target. However, the ultimate aim is to play Test cricket.