Ricky Ponting might be a legend of the game, but he’s not taking any of Virat Kohli’s current form into account when it comes to assessments. The pitches of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy have been difficult for all batters so far, and this has led Ponting to believe that performance statistics in the series shouldn’t be taken too seriously. After all, Kohli has only 111 runs in three Tests against Australia despite having played 14 innings, but this doesn’t seem to worry Ponting one bit. He stated during an ICC Review interview: “I’m not looking at anybody’s form in this Test series because, for a batsman, it has just been an absolute nightmare.” With encouraging words such as these, we can expect to see some stellar cricket and batting comebacks from Kohli before long – especially with someone like Ponting championing his cause!
Virat Kohli may be struggling at the moment in his current form, but cricketing legend Ricky Ponting is not concerned. He has said it before and will say again: “Champion players always find a way”. Even though Kohli may not be scoring the runs everyone expects from him, Ponting is certain that he will bounce back given time and suitable conditions. Ponting understands this well, as he has played in England multiple times as part of the Ashes; so he is aware that the conditions in June will differ vastly to what teams are currently facing in the sub-continent. There’s no doubt that respected cricketing figure Ponting knows how to turn a champion around!
In speaking about proposed tweaks to India’s batting order for a potential ICC World Test Championship Final in June, former cricketer and third place-holder on the list of international centuries – 48-year-old Ricky Ponting – suggested that KL Rahul, who scored only 38 runs in three innings of two Tests, be replaced with Shubman Gill. With both players having played some Test match cricket despite their respective young ages and experience, Ponting believes it would not be too large of an advantage should they opt to include both in the playing XI. Even though Rahul has had period of difficult form with minimal success in the two Tests before being dropped from the third, he remains highly rated by many. So while India may take some lessons they have learned from the current series into consideration should they qualify for this championship in June, it will also be interesting to see if Ponting’s suggestion is heeded.
Rahul has demonstrated an ability to perform well in English conditions, while Gill has previously played at the top of the order in the UK. With these things in mind, Ponting believes the Indian team could benefit from having both players on the starting XI for their upcoming Oval match. By playing Shubman at the opening and KL lower down in the batting order, they can make use of Gill’s experience in English cricket while maintaining their current lineup. Additionally, since balls tend to swerve through long innings in Britain, there could be a notable advantage for India if they capitalise on this possibility with creative strategizing.
India heads to England for their first Test match of the year in a high stakes showpiece. With home advantage and a variety of conditions to contend with, it’s essential for India to assess the pitch and adjust their team accordingly. Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting believes that choosing the team that is most suitable for the English environment will be critical to victory, creating an interesting dynamic as India strives to have the best players out on the pitch. With just one shot at getting this right before they move onto other tours, all eyes are on Team India as they battle it out against formidable opposition in what will be a closely watched encounter.
Batsman from both India and Great Britain know just how important it is to assess the conditions when playing at The Oval. During a sunny day, The Oval can be optimal for batting due to its excellent wicket. These conditions provide batsman the best opportunity to maximize their run scoring potential and land in-form batsmen with an opportunity to have successful innings. For India, assessing the conditions is key as they cannot rely on previous test series results against England, which ultimately may result in them making a different team selection than they would if they were in Australia. While each side has looked at different environmental factors, favorable match performances could well depend on this assessment of conditions.
