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

When Priyansh Arya smashed 6 sixes in an over last year he mainly targeted the straight boundary But when he joins the Punjab Kings PBKS camp he is keen to perfect his pull shot with the help of head coach Ricky Ponting who dominated the stroke in his playing daysThe 6 sixes in Manan Bhardwajs single over in the Delhi Premier League helped Priyansh Arya gain the spotlight With this he was also able to get a lifechanging bid of Rs 38 crore from Punjab KingsPriyansh Arya also smashed a stunning century against Uttar Pradesh in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy SMAT days before the highprofile event in Saudi ArabiaHaving been part of Punjab Kings first preseason camp in Mumbai last week Priyansh 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 21Life has not changed much since the auction Yes there is more interest from people and my expectations from myself have increased The preseason 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 beforeArya 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 Ricky PontingI 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 shotI 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 lowsAlso Read India beat Ireland by 304 runs in third womens ODIJust 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 capitalThe 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 mindI 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 moneyThat is something my parents will decide pat came the response from AryaGrowing up Priyansh Arya has always drawn inspiration from former Team India cricketer Gautam Gambhir Arya loves Gambhirs play against spin and he too has gone on to become a decent batter against the turning ball No wonder those sixsixes came off a spinnerBesides Gambhir Arya also draws inspiration from Sri Lankan great Kumar SangakkaraRight 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 himAmong overseas players I like Kumar Sangakkara I love his cover drive a lot though personally I like pull shot the mostThe moment when his name came under the hammer will remain fresh in Aryas memory foreverWe 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 bidI 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 recollectedArya 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 farThere 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 happenedHe is yet to play firstclass cricket and that is his next target However the ultimate aim is to play Test cricketWith PTI Inputs