IND vs PAK T20 World Cup 2024 Why Pakistani bowlers fear Virat Kohli. Photo: X
Australian great Ricky Ponting has hailed former captain Virat Kohli’s “huge role” in revolutionising Test cricket in India and said the country’s batsmen are no longer afraid of the big stage, evidenced by their success in challenging conditions overseas.
Ponting also praised the contributions of former head coach Rahul Dravid, who stepped down from the role after guiding India to the T20 World Cup title triumph in June.
“If you go back to Kohli’s early days as captain, he played a big role in changing the course of cricket and (Rahul) Dravid has continued to do the same over the last four years. The influence of someone like him (Kohli) on a team would be great and they have star players,” Ponting told Sky Sports.
Under Kohli’s captaincy, India became the first Asian team to win a Test series in Australia, besides recording some memorable victories elsewhere.
With his aggressive captaincy, Kohli made everyone believe that the Indian team can win abroad too, and his confidence rubbed off on the team even when he was not around.
During the last Test series in Australia in 2020-21, Kohli left for India after the first match due to the birth of his daughter Vamika. But India, under the captaincy of Ajinkya Rahane, battled through injuries and the absence of key players to pull off a historic 21st series win.
“They won a match at the Gabba, which doesn’t happen. I think their batsmen adapt very well to batting conditions abroad.
“I don’t think they’re as intimidated by the Gabba or Optus Oval as they used to be. Maybe it’s a selection thing, or they just don’t fear the big stage any more,” Ponting observed.
During Kohli’s tenure, India won 40 matches and lost 17, with 11 ending in draws in the 68 Test matches he played.
This time, Kohli will tour Australia under the captaincy of his longtime Indian colleague Rohit Sharma.
“Their depth in fast bowling is excellent. The leadership over the last 6 or 7 years has been solid.”
Ponting also praised the Indian Premier League for producing players who like to play fearless cricket.
“Over the last 10 years that I have been in the IPL, I have noticed that many of the youngsters play aggressively without fear as the IPL involves a lot of pressure. It is like a World Cup for them.
“Their hitters are very aggressive players and they are not afraid of failing,” he concluded.
The Australians have failed to win the Border-Gavaskar Trophy since their last series victory in 2014-15 at home. The Indians have clinched the title on four consecutive occasions since then, winning twice at home and twice away.
(Only the headline and image of this report may have been reworked by Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
First published: September 12, 2024 | 15:48 IS
Disclaimer:
The information contained in this post is for general information purposes only. We make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability or availability with respect to the website or the information, products, services, or related graphics contained on the post for any purpose.
We respect the intellectual property rights of content creators. If you are the owner of any material featured on our website and have concerns about its use, please contact us. We are committed to addressing any copyright issues promptly and will remove any material within 2 days of receiving a request from the rightful owner.