Ponting responds And Gambhir’s rebuttal on Kohli’s form.
In the previous edition of the ICC Review, former Australia captain Ricky Ponting had expressed concern over Virat Kohli’s recent struggles in Test cricket but he had backed the former Indian captain to regain his form in the upcoming series against Australia.
Then, in India’s pre-departure press conference, India head coach Gambhir questioned Ponting’s view on Kohli’s form, leading to a verbal spat between the two cricketing greats.Ponting has stood by his statement on the latest ICC review and has expressed surprise at Gambhir’s reaction, highlighting the pressure and increased media focus around high-stakes series like the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
“Look, I was a bit surprised by the reaction I got from Gambhir,” Ponting said. “But I thought I was quite balanced in what I said, ‘Never underestimate a champion and never expect players like him to come back and play well in Australia.’” “I think in a series like this, the pressure on the players increases, there is media buzz and speculation on certain players and all these things increase. And now people also have a lot of outlets to voice their opinions.
I was a bit surprised by what Gautam said, and it felt like it created a lot of different reactions from some people in India as well. So at the end of the day, maybe what I said adds a little bit more to the series.”
The former India captain scored just one half-century in five home Tests against Bangladesh and New Zealand, averaging 21.33 in those two series. Kohli’s form has also been a concern since the start of the decade, with just two centuries in 34 matches and an average of 31.68.
Kohli is a “great player of the game” and he expressed confidence that the star batsman will regain his form. “There probably won’t be any top-order batsman who has been playing international cricket and who has scored only two Test match centuries in five years.”
“I saw a stat the other day about Virat which said he has only scored two (three) Test centuries in the last five years. It didn’t seem right to me but if it is correct, it is a matter of concern,” Ponting had said.
“He loves playing against Australia. In fact, I know he loves playing against Australia. And as I said, his record (in Australia) is very good. If there is a time for him to change that, it would be this series.
“He loves playing against Australia. In fact, I know he loves playing against Australia. And as I said, his record (in Australia) is very good. If there is a time for him to change that, it would be this series.
“So it would not be a surprise to see Virat scoring runs in the first game.”-Ricky Ponting
