"As a group we are lacking a little bit in confidence at the moment. We have not got off to a great start so far in the tournament. Looking at the last couple of games, we played some really good cricket. We have to make sure we do that for the entire 40 overs and not only for 25 or 30 overs as we have been doing," said the former Australian captain, on the sidelines of a promotional event for underprivileged children.
Skipper Rohit Sharma, who fell for a duck in successive games after starting off with a brilliant, unbeaten 98 in the first game, felt that the team management needed to give the players the belief that they could play at a much better level.
"We have not been doing some things well. We are working on them. We are unable to cross that one hurdle. There has been something lacking in either batting or bowling. It's a matter of confidence. We have to give the boys confidence," said Sharma.
The 2013 champs seem to be taking heart from the way they fought back after losing the first five games to reach the playoffs last year. "Our preparations have been good, but we are unable to execute our plans fully. Even the last time, we were in a similar situation and we came back well. We are next playing a home game against Chennai Super Kings) (on April 17) which is an important game and we need to forget what has happened so far, and take the positives and go forward," Rohit said.
Ponting hoped that a similar fightback would be scripted again. "I have this feeling that a really good performance is round the corner. We have to make sure we work hard when we train. We are playing a very good Chennai outfit on Friday. We need to be at our absolute best."
Justifying his decision to switch to the No.4 spot in the last game after opening in the first two outings, Rohit said: "The reason is pretty simple -just to get the right combination and the right balance in the squad."
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