Melbourne. Responding to the sarcasm of Indian cricket team head coach Gautam Gambhir, former Australian captain Ricky Ponting has hit back. On Wednesday he said that India’s head coach gets irritated easily. He also emphasized that his comments on Virat Kohli should not be seen as targeting the star batsman. He himself will be worried about his poor form for a long time.
Ponting had said in an interview given to the International Cricket Council (ICC) that Kohli’s poor form would be a matter of concern. Any other player would have struggled to retain his place in the Test team with just two centuries in five years. However, he also praised Kohli’s ability to make a comeback. When Gambhir was asked about Ponting’s comments, he said that the Australian legend need not be worried about Indian cricket.
Asked about Gambhir’s comments, Ponting told 7News: “I was surprised to read the reaction but I know coach Gautam Gambhir… he gets irritated very quickly so I’m not surprised he hit back. I don’t expect anything like this from them. We have a lot of history against each other. I have coached him at Delhi Capitals and he is of a very bubbly nature.
Ponting, one of the greatest batsmen of his time, explained what he meant and why he felt things were taken out of context. He said, “This was not a dig at him (Kohli) in any way. I actually said after this that he has done well in Australia and he will be keen to make a comeback here… If you ask Virat I am sure he will be a bit worried that he has not been able to score centuries like in the previous tours “
Tags: Border Gavaskar Trophy, Gautam Gambhir, India vs Australia, Ricky ponting, Virat Kohli
FIRST PUBLISHED : November 13, 2024, 1:37 PM IST