Ricky Ponting makes bold call by predicting Australia's opener to debut against India in BGT

After the retirement of opener David Warner, there has been speculation as to who should get the first opportunity against the new ball when India visit Australia for the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy later this month. Ponting had said the Aussies may thrust teenage opener Sam Konstas into the fray and hand the Under 19 star a debut against India, but the former Australia skipper has changed his selection.

In an exclusive interview with Sanjana Ganesan on the latest episode of The ICC Review, Ponting revealed Nathan McSweeney was now his first choice just ahead of the promising Konstas. "I was put on the spot about a week ago, and I sort of immediately went to the young guy, Sam Konstas. He had come off back-to-back hundreds against South Australia," Ponting was quoted by ICC as saying.

He added that Konstas is young and has probably not played on grounds like in Perth or at The Gabba. "Then I thought a bit more about it and, he is so young and he has probably not even played on grounds like Optus (Perth) Stadium or at The Gabba. He wouldn't have played a pink-ball (match) at Adelaide Oval either. So there's a lot of things that stack up against the young guy, although there's no doubt that he's got talent," he added.

He then went on to explain how the recent performance of McSweeney in the unofficial 'Test' against India A on a trying surface in rural Queensland town Mackay, helped him pip the competitors. Coming in at No.4, McSweeney stabilised the Australia 'A' innings with a sturdy 39, after fellow Test hopefuls Konstas (0), Marcus Harris (17) and Cameron Bancroft (0) had fallen cheaply.

Like Konstas, McSweeney has also performed admirably at a recent edition of the ICC Men's Under 19 Cricket World Cup, with the 25-year-old scoring a total of 2011 runs at the 2018 tournament in New Zealand.

"Another thing that I'd said then was that I don't think they'd go back to a (Cameron) Bancroft or (Marcus) Harris because if they're willing to do that they would've done it the last year. So, the only name left for me more or less is Nathan McSweeney, who is Queensland-born now playing for South Australia. He got the most out of any of those guys from the 'A' game in Australia at the moment," Ponting added.

The former Australia skipper added that McSweeney has captained Australia A in the past for which he is more experienced. "And he's more experienced. He has captained Australia A in the past, and he's captaining them now. So, I'm leaning towards McSweeney now for that opening role at the start of the Australian summer," Ponting further added.

The Border-Gavaskar series between India and Australia will begin on November 22, with the first Test at Perth. The second Test, scheduled for December 6 to 10 at Adelaide Oval, will feature the exciting day-night format under the stadium's lights. After that, fans will turn their attention to The Gabba in Brisbane for the third Test, which will be held from December 14 to 18.

The customary Boxing Day Test, set for December 26 to 30 at Melbourne's storied Melbourne Cricket Ground, will bring the series to its penultimate stage. The fifth and final Test, to take place at the Sydney Cricket Ground from January 3 to 7, will serve as the series climax, promising a dramatic conclusion to an exciting contest. (ANI)