New Delhi: Team India will take on Australia in the five-match Test series starting from November 22. The rivalry between both teams has taken a new turn in the last 10 years as the Men in Blue haven’t lost any Test series against the Aussies after 2014/15.
Virat Kohli and Co. defeated Australia in the 2018/19 Test series and became the first Asian team to beat the Aussies on their home soil. Team India repeated history again by winning the series in 2020/21. Despite suffering many injuries and the absence of Virat Kohli, the team bounced back brilliantly to win the series.
Australian Cricket team haven’t come close to winning the Test series in India and have struggled against spin like all other teams. Former Australian captain Ricky Ponting said that Indian batters adapt to overseas conditions very well and they don’t fear playing at the big stage anymore.
“They won a game at the Gabba, 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.
‘IPL made Indian batters fearless’: Ricky Ponting
Ponting worked in the IPL as the head coach of Delhi Capitals and after working in the cash-rich league for so many years he feels that IPL has made Indian batters fearless and they all are very aggressive stroke-making players.
India is generally known to produce good spinners but in the last 15 years, likes of Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav, Shardul Thakur and Siraj have delivered many match-winning performances for the country. Ponting praised Virat Kohli and Ravi Shastri for the country’s great bowling depth. He also said that the leadership of the team has been strong in the last 6-7 years.
“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 Kohli around a team would be great and they’ve got star players” said Ponting on Sky Sports.
Former Australian skipper Ricky Ponting praised India’s strong leadership ahead of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
