After India’s historic win in the first Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, the team is all set for the second Test match, scheduled to be a Pink Ball Day-Night game in Adelaide starting from 6th December. The former World Cup-winning Australian captain, Ricky Ponting, who was sure of a clean sweet for India ahead of the series, is now all praise for the Indian team. He shared his insights with Cricbuzz on the Border-Gavaskar Trophy opener in Perth. He also spoke about the shifting dynamics of players in the Indian Team.
Indian batters play better overseas now
Rickey Ponting believes that the Indian batters are not the kings of their home anymore. They play better cricket overseas than in their own home. “One point I did make, and I think it’s really true. I’m not sure how much (this) has been spoken about here, but I think Indian batsmen now play better away from home than they play at home. I think they’re better players of fast bowling now than they are of spin bowling.” He said.
Praise for young batters
Ponting underlines the performances of young players like Yashasvi Jaiswal, who scored a century, underlines India’s growing prowess on these challenging wickets. “I think that’s been proven this (last) week. To be able to go to Perth, have a young kid like Jaiswal make 100 (161) on that wicket, even Nitish Reddy being able to make 40 (41) in the first innings… I think they (India) play better on those wickets than they do on the slow spinning tracks that they’ve been getting at home. I mean, there’s no way in the world New Zealand would have beaten them on good wickets.” he stated.
Overcoming challenges in Perth
Despite missing key players like Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, and Mohammed Shami, India managed a stunning 295-run victory. Ponting highlighted the significance of this win, saying, “After getting bowled out for 150, it was a bit, yeah, a shock win. And they’ve won by the best part of 300 runs.” The win was achieved despite early struggles in the first innings, showing a great turnaround.
Toss advantage and Bumrah’s power
Ponting analysed the Test, emphasising the role of the toss and Jasprit Bumrah’s leadership. Winning the toss was crucial as history favoured teams batting first at the Optus Stadium. India’s stand-in captain, Bumrah, led the attack, taking eight wickets overall and contributing mainly to India’s success. Ponting stated, “Oh, no doubt, Bumrah led the way. The way he bowled at the start of the first innings was incredible.”
