NEW DELHI: Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting took a fresh dig at India head coach Gautam Gambhir after clarifying his remarks about Virat Kohli’s performance.
Speaking on the podcast ‘The Run Home with Joel & Fletch,’ Ponting again labeled Gambhir as a ‘prickly character’. He suggested that Gambhir’s reaction, during the press conference before leaving for Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT), was influenced by India’s recent Test series loss to New Zealand.
“I’m not sure if I mentioned a couple of them [other Indian batters], but I reckon he’s just throwing me in the deep end, trying to find their two most experienced and make sure when they come out, they put that back on me,” Ponting said.In the lead-up to the BGT, Ponting had raised concerns about Kohli’s form. He highlighted Kohli’s declining home average, which has dropped to almost 30, with only three centuries in the past five years. However, Ponting also acknowledged Kohli’s excellent track record in Australia, suggesting that this tour could be an opportunity for him to regain his form.
Ponting believes Gambhir misinterpreted his comments and reacted emotionally, possibly due to the recent series defeat.
“I think the hair on the back of his neck was already standing up. We got a bit of history as well, but he took a chance to fire back at me,” Ponting said, adding that Gambhir seemed anxious and was looking for a reason to retaliate.
Despite their differences, Ponting stood by his initial assessment of Kohli’s recent form, attributing his concerns to the statistical decline in Kohli’s performance. Ponting, however, expressed confidence that the Australian tour could be a turning point for Kohli.
“I said if there ever was a tour where he [Kohli] could turn things around, it would be this,” Ponting noted.
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