Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting has opened up on the Indian team’s combination after their 30-run defeat to South Africa in the opening Test in Kolkata. Although Washington Sundar has batted well in his promoted No. 3 position, Ponting believes he would not bat at the same venue overseas.
B Sai Sudharsan played in this position in the previous series against West Indies. But Sundar showed resilience in both innings, scoring 29 and 31. India, however, failed to chase down a paltry 124 in the fourth innings to concede a 0-1 lead.
Asked about the decision to promote Sundar, Ponting said the 26-year-old looks every bit like a Test batter, especially after his performance in England. But the two-time World Cup-winning captain has warned that India cannot beat him to number three in overseas Tests. He spoke on the latest episode of the ICC Review:
“I didn’t see the timing or who he came up against. If he was coming against left-arm spin, mainly when the ball is spinning into the left-handed hitter. You kind of break it down based on what you were doing in the 50-over or 20-over game. You want to have the good games there. So that might have something to do with that. He hasn’t done anything wrong with the bat since he came into the Test team. What he did during that series in England – he looks like every Test match batting in the right conditions, he came in at number three. I wouldn’t want him to bat at number three outside India because there will be enough technical challenges outside India.
The 50-year-old added that Sundar could have been promoted to fill the void, given that he was also picked as the fourth player.
“You probably look at that and think it’s a strange selection because the quality of batting that exists in India – you wonder, ‘Is he the best or is there potentially someone who can play better in that role?’ This could have been him filling the void – he was hitting threes and was the fourth player on that team. Maybe it was to make up for that match.”
With Rishabh Pant reportedly set to lead India in the second Test in Guwahati due to Shubman Gill’s neck injury, Ponting is backing the keeper-batsman to handle the occasion well. He suggested that captaincy lessons from the IPL would serve Pant quite well.
“It’s never easy to replace an interim captain, especially when you have lost a Test match a few days before. Rishabh is now reasonably an experienced Test match player and being a wicketkeeper probably helps him see how the game is evolving and what is happening in the game. So, he has done it in IPL for the last few years and did it for Delhi before that. I think he will do well. It will be interesting to see how he performs as captain and how he handles his style of play as a captain. hitter, I think he will handle the occasion well.
Ponting, who worked with Pant at Delhi Capitals, added:
“The only thing that is not talked about about these so-called young Indian players now is when they take the step to play for India in a Test match or lead the team and they get that IPL experience. The IPL is as important as a Test match for a lot of these guys because of the crowds and the scrutiny that is in the IPL. I think modern players are a little more ready for that, those leadership roles and the enormity of the situation than they might have been 15 years ago. So I think Rishabh will be fine.”
Pant has captained 57 IPL matches, winning 29 of them. However, the left-hander is yet to captain in any format at the international level.
“They are not playing spin as well as they used to as a batting group” – Ricky Ponting on Team India
As the Kolkata pitch comes under scrutiny, the 168-Test veteran suggested that it makes no sense for India to prepare for over-spin wickets when their batters themselves are struggling.
“I’ve been talking about this on the record for a few years. They’re grooming these wickets so much in favor of the spinners that it’s negating the quality of their spin. It’s making the opposition spinners probably not as skilled as the Indians. It’s making them better when they have wickets spinning like that. The other problem with Indian cricket is that in the last five or six years they’re not playing as well as they once did as a batting group. So for me it’s just getting everyone on the same page I think New Zealand last year was a great example of that.”
Ponting, however, agreed with Gautam Gambhir’s statement that 124 should have been chased down by the hosts.
“New Zealand outplayed them for wickets designed and intended for Indian players. I saw Gambhir’s quote and it’s pretty spot on: chasing 120 in the last innings, they should have been able to achieve that. But we’ve all seen pitches like that: you lose a wicket and you lose a few in a row and then the pressure builds. There are fielders around the bat everywhere.”
India must win the second Test against South Africa in Guwahati to avoid another series defeat at home within a year.
Edited by Srinjoy Sanyal
