Funny Incidents

Ricky Ponting's 'It's Like a Virus' Line on Shashank Singh's Drops — IPL 2026

May 2026Punjab KingsIPL 2026 — Ricky Ponting broadcast and post-match commentary1 min readSeverity: Mild

Summary

PBKS head coach Ricky Ponting summarised his side's fielding crisis in IPL 2026 with two lines that became the season's most-shared coaching quotes: 'It's like a virus. We've put a lot of catches down so far this season,' and the affectionate-exasperated 'It just looks like the ball is following him around everywhere he goes' — directed specifically at Shashank Singh's run of drops.

What Happened

Ponting, one of the most successful captains in cricket history and an internationally respected fielding coach, has been the public face of PBKS's response to its fielding meltdown. The 'virus' framing arrived in a post-match press conference and the 'ball is following him around' line came across broadcast commentary in a separate context. Both lines circulated immediately and became the kind of season-defining quotes coaches occasionally produce.

The lines worked partly because they were funny and partly because they were honest. Ponting did not minimise the problem. He did not single Shashank out as a culprit deserving of public criticism. He framed the slump as a structural team problem with a hint of cosmic absurdity — the kind of framing that gives a struggling player room to recover without losing dignity.

The lines became part of the PBKS dressing-room culture. Shashank's eventual self-deprecating airport-lounge clip with Arshdeep Singh built directly on the same tonal register.

Key Moments

1

Post-match press conference — Ponting: 'It's like a virus. We've put a lot of catches down so far this season'

2

Broadcast commentary — Ponting on Shashank: 'It just looks like the ball is following him around everywhere he goes'

3

Both lines circulate widely on social media

4

Lines set the tonal register for PBKS dressing-room handling of the fielding slump

5

Shashank's later self-deprecating airport-lounge clip with Arshdeep builds on the same register

⚖️ The Verdict

Ricky Ponting's 'It's like a virus' and 'ball follows him around everywhere he goes' lines became the season's most-shared coaching quotes — honest, funny, and notably free of any public criticism of Shashank Singh personally.

Frequently Asked Questions

What did Ricky Ponting say about the PBKS catching slump?▾
'It's like a virus. We've put a lot of catches down so far this season,' and on Shashank Singh specifically: 'It just looks like the ball is following him around everywhere he goes.'
Did Ponting criticise Shashank Singh publicly?▾
No. The framing was affectionate-exasperated, designed to address the slump structurally without singling Shashank out for personal criticism.

Tags

#IPL 2026#Ricky Ponting#Shashank Singh#PBKS#virus#ball follows him#quote

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