Sydney: On the latest episode of The ICC Review, Australia great and ICC Hall of Famer Ricky Ponting defended his stance on Virat Kohli’s form following Gautam Gambhir’s questioning.
In an earlier edition of The ICC Review, Ponting had expressed concern over Virat Kohli’s recent struggles in Test cricket but backed the former India captain to rediscover his form in the upcoming series against Australia.
However, at India’s pre-departure press conference, India head coach Gambhir took issue with Ponting’s assessment of Kohli’s form, thus sparking an exchange between the two cricketing greats.
On the latest ICC Review, Ponting stood by his statement, expressing surprise at Gambhir’s reaction while highlighting the pressure and amplified media focus surrounding a high-stakes series like the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
“Look, I was a little bit surprised with the response I got from Gambhir,” Ponting said. “I thought I was pretty measured in what I had to say, ‘Never write off a champion and expect players like him to bounce back and play well in Australia’.
“I think in a series like this, everything gets amplified. So the pressure on the players goes up, the media talk and chatter and speculation on certain players and conditions and all those things get amplified. And there are so many outlets now as well for people to view their opinions and stuff,” he said.
“So, look, I’ve seen it happen before. I was a little bit surprised with what Gautam had to say, and it seemed like it sort of created a few different reactions from a few people over in India as well. So at the end of the day, maybe what I had to say might just add a little bit more to the series,” Ponting said.
One of the most talked-about topics ahead of the series against Australia has been Kohli’s recent form.
The former India captain managed just one half-century in five home Tests against Bangladesh and New Zealand, at an average of 21.33 in those two series.
Kohli’s form since the start of the decade has also raised concerns, with only two centuries in 34 matches and an average of 31.68.
On the previous edition of the ICC Review, Ponting acknowledged Kohli’s struggles, deeming them a valid concern but maintained that Kohli was “a great of the game” and expressed confidence that the star batter would find his form again.
“I saw a stat the other day about Virat, it said he’s only scored two (three) Test hundreds in the last five years. That didn’t seem right to me, but if that is right, then that is, I mean, that’s a concern,” Ponting had said.
“There wouldn’t be anyone else probably even playing international cricket as a top-order batsman that’s only scored two Test match hundreds in five years,” he said.
“I’ve said it before about Virat, you don’t ever question the greats of the game. There’s no doubt, he’s a great of the game,” Ponting 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’s a time for him to turn it around, it’d be this series,” Ponting said.
“So I wouldn’t be surprised to see Virat make runs in the first game,” he said.
