Ricky Ponting. (Photo Source: Twitter)
India are set to defend the Border-Gavaskar Trophy to end their cricketing calendar year. Rohit Sharma and Co. will face a stern test as they embark on a tour Down Under to play five Test matches. India and Australia are placed at No. 1 and No. 2, respectively, in the World Test Championship (WTC) standings and it adds more significance to the high-voltage series.
The Asian giants have won the Test series against Australia on their last two trips Down Under in 2018-19 and 2020-21. The legendary Ricky Ponting said that the Indian batters are no longer perturbed by overseas batting conditions and are ready to showcase their skills on the big stage.
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“They won a game at the Gabba [in 2020-21], which just doesn’t happen. I think their batsmen adapt to overseas batting conditions very well. I don’t think they’re as daunted by the Gabba or the Optus Oval, as they maybe once were. Maybe it is a selection thing, or they just don’t fear the big stage anymore,” said Ponting on Sky Sports.
Ponting also attributed India’s success on the big stage to the Indian Premier League (IPL), asserting that the cash-rich franchise league prepares the players for the challenges in international cricket.
“For the last 10 years being around the IPL, I’ve noticed that a lot of the young guys [don’t fear the big stage anymore] as the IPL is high-pressure, it is like a World Cup for them. Their batsmen are all very aggressive stroke-making players. They are not scared of failing,” he added.
The leadership in the last 6-7 years has been strong: Ponting
Ponting pointed out that the depth in India’s fast-bowling resources has been commendable in recent times and the strong leadership from captains like Virat Kohli and coaches like Rahul Dravid have also played a massive role.
“Their fast-bowling depth is great. The leadership in the last 6-7 years has been strong, going back to Kohli’s start of captaincy, played a big role in turning the cricket around and Dravid has continued the same in the recent four years. The influence of someone like that [Kohli] around a team would be great and they’ve got star players,” said Ponting.
Indian fans used to prepare themselves for the worst when their team travelled overseas in the past. However, times have changed and the Indian players have shown that they have what it takes to stand toe-to-toe with their opponents in foreign conditions.