Vikrant Shekhawat : Sep 13, 2024, 12:59 PM
Ricky Ponting: The Indian cricket team has to play a five-match Border-Gavaskar Test series on their tour of Australia at the end of 2024, but the round of rhetoric has started even before this important series. Recently, former Australian captain Ricky Ponting has praised Virat Kohli and Rahul Dravid and mentioned the wonderful journey of Indian cricket.Virat Kohli: A symbol of revolution in Indian cricketSpeaking on Sky Sports, Ricky Ponting described Virat Kohli as a player who brought a new revolution in Indian Test cricket. Ponting praised Kohli's captaincy and said that his aggression and leadership has given a new direction to Indian cricket. Ponting described the success of the Indian team especially after winning the Test series in Australia in 2018-19 as remarkable. Under Kohli's captaincy, India achieved a historic feat by winning the Test series in Australia for the first time, which took the credibility of Indian cricket to new heights.Contribution of Rahul DravidPraising Virat Kohli's leadership, Ponting also praised Rahul Dravid's tenure. Dravid, who took the Indian team to new heights in the last four years, was described by Ponting as an important pillar of Indian cricket. Dravid's calm and steady leadership has been instrumental in taking the Indian team's performance to consistent heights.Confidence and performance of Indian playersPonting also praised the mental strength and growing confidence of the Indian players. He said that Indian players are no longer nervous on the big stage. India's thrilling victory on the 2020-21 Australian tour, which included success in the final match at the Gabba ground, was cited by Ponting as an example of the Indian team's confidence. He said that now Indian players have become more capable of adapting themselves to foreign conditions and they can also bear the pressure of big matches very well.Upgradation of Indian fast bowlingPonting also praised the improvement of the Indian fast bowling department. He said that in the last 6-7 years, Indian fast bowling has made a lot of progress and all the credit for this goes to strong leadership. It is noteworthy that Indian fast bowlers have performed well even in overseas conditions, which was a challenging area earlier.Way forwardPraising Virat Kohli and Rahul Dravid, Ponting predicted that the Indian team will present a strong challenge in the upcoming Border-Gavaskar series. Given this new direction and confidence of Indian cricket, it would not be wrong to say that this series between India and Australia is going to be very exciting. Ponting's praise and positive comments have provided a new energy and inspiration to this new era of Indian cricket.