War of words escalates as Ponting retorts to Gautam Gambhir

Many factors were at play when the annual series between India and Australia earned the tag of being one of the fiercest rivalries in the game. India and Australia, being the leading cricketing forces, when squared off for the Border Gavaskar Trophy, brought the best quality of cricket on display. Moreover, with Australia forever being credited as the aggressive, nagging side and the presence of Virat Kohli in the Indian side, the match staged a charged-up drama for the fans. The heated battle is one of the key factors driving such fanfare for the red-ball series, placing it in the league of the historic Ashes. Now, as India has reached the Australian den to engage in yet another edition of the BGT, the battle has already started. Setting the tone for the rivalry to revive, a war of words has commenced between former Kangaroo captain Ricky Ponting and Indian head coach Gautam Gambhir.

Ricky Ponting shots back at Gautam Gambhir, calls the Indian coach a 'prickly character'

India faced a humbling defeat at the hands of New Zealand right before the Border Gavaskar Trophy. The Kiwis handed India its first-ever 0-3 whitewash in Tests at home, while also breaking their long-standing record of being unbeaten in home Test series for 12 years. The significant setback and the blow to their reputation in the format landed seniors like skipper Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli in a puddle. Both the captain and the former leader have not been at the top of their forms in Test cricket lately. The uproar against the seasoned Indian stars was joined by former Australian skipper Ricky Ponting. Opining on the form of Virat Kohli, Ponting stated that two centuries across five years in the game is ‘concerning.’ Ponting went on to say that had any other player recorded a dry spell similar to Kohli, he wouldn’t have continued playing international cricket.

“I saw a stat the other day about Virat. It said he’s only scored two (three) Test hundreds in the last five years. That didn’t seem right to me, but if that is right, then that is, I mean, that’s a concern,” Ponting had said earlier. “There wouldn’t be anyone else probably even playing international cricket as a top-order batsman that’s only scored two Test match hundreds in five years.”

The statement by Ricky Ponting went without any reaction until Gautam Gambhir addressed the media. The Indian head coach attended a press conference before the India squad left for Australia to start their preparations for the Perth Test. While speaking on many topics about the team, Gambhir was queried for a reaction to Ponting’s stance on Kohli. Known for his blunt comebacks, the former Indian batter didn’t let it slide easily. The head coach, in straight and stern words, directed Ponting to ‘think about Australian cricket.’ While Gambhir defended both Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma against the roaring criticism from the fans and fraternity, his reply to Ponting was rather severe.

“What does Ponting have to do with Indian cricket? I think he should think about Australian cricket. More importantly, I have got no concerns whatsoever for Virat and Rohit. I think they are incredibly tough men. They’ve achieved a lot for Indian cricket and they will continue to achieve a lot in the future as well,” Gambhir said.

Now, with the Border Gavaskar Trophy slated to commence on November 22 with the Perth clash, Ricky Ponting has retorted to Gambhir. Speaking up on Gambhir’s reply to him, Ponting referred to him as a ‘prickly character.’ Moreover, Ponting said that while he was shocked at the reaction, he was not surprised by the fact that the reply had come from Gautam Gambhir.

“I was surprised to read the reaction but knowing the coach, Gautam Gambhir … he’s quite a prickly character, so I’m not surprised it was him who said something back,” Ponting said recently.

However, Ricky Ponting went on to explain that his earlier comments on Kohli were not a dig at the star player. The former Australian great backed up his comment by citing how he had said that Virat has played well against the Kangaroos and will be keen to bounce back in form in the Border Gavaskar Trophy.

“In no way was it a dig at him (Kohli). I actually followed it up by saying he’s played well in Australia and he’ll be keen to bounce back over here…If you ask Virat, I’m sure he would be a little bit concerned that he hasn’t been able to make the same amount of hundreds as he has in previous years,” Ponting added.

Virat Kohli was the first from the India squad to reach Perth ahead of the Border Gavaskar Trophy. The rest of the squad left in two batches, with the last batch including head coach Gautam Gambhir leaving on Monday, November 11. Meanwhile, there is still no clarity about the availability of skipper Rohit Sharma in the opening Test. The captain didn’t leave with the squad for Perth, however, it is still not official about his participation. Gambhir, in his press conference, informed that Jasprit Bumrah will lead the team in case Rohit misses the Perth Test.