Ricky Ponting Calls Gautam Gambhir a ‘Prickly Character’ Amid Debate on Virat Kohli’s Form

Melbourne [Australia], November 13 – As anticipation builds for the first Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy between India and Australia at Perth’s Optus Stadium, former Australian cricketer Ricky Ponting and Indian head coach Gautam Gambhir have sparked a war of words over Virat Kohli’s recent Test form.

On a recent episode of ICC Review, Ponting expressed concern over Kohli’s performance, noting that the star batter has managed only two Test centuries since 2020. “If that’s accurate, it’s definitely a concern. There’s likely no other top-order batsman in international cricket with just two Test centuries over five years,” Ponting remarked, though he followed up by supporting Kohli’s potential to excel in Australia.

Gambhir, however, reacted strongly during a pre-departure press conference, dismissing Ponting’s concerns and emphasizing Kohli and Rohit Sharma’s passion and commitment to Indian cricket. “Ponting should focus on Australian cricket. Virat and Rohit have achieved a lot for India and continue to work hard,” Gambhir said, adding that the Indian team remains highly motivated despite setbacks, including a 0-3 series loss to New Zealand at home.

Responding to Gambhir’s reaction, Ponting clarified his comments on Channel 7, as reported by Wisden, stating he hadn’t intended his remarks as criticism and believed Kohli himself might be concerned about his recent numbers. “I was surprised by the reaction. But knowing Gautam, he can be a prickly character, so I’m not shocked it came from him,” Ponting concluded.

Kohli’s form has indeed been under scrutiny. In 19 international matches this year, he’s scored just 488 runs at an average of 20.33, with two half-centuries. His Test form has been particularly concerning, with only 192 runs in 10 innings against Bangladesh and New Zealand. However, Kohli has historically performed well in Australia, with an impressive record of 1,352 runs at an average of 54.08 in 13 Tests.

India needs to secure a 4-0 series win against Australia to ensure a direct spot in the World Test Championship final in London. The series opens in Perth on November 22, followed by the second Test under lights at Adelaide Oval from December 6 to 10, the third Test at Brisbane’s Gabba from December 14 to 18, the Boxing Day Test at Melbourne Cricket Ground from December 26 to 30, and concludes at Sydney Cricket Ground from January 3 to 7.

India Squad for Border-Gavaskar Series: Rohit Sharma (c), Jasprit Bumrah (vc), Ravichandran Ashwin, Mohammad Shami, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Shubman Gill, Ravindra Jadeja, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Sarfaraz Khan, Virat Kohli, Prasidh Krishna, Rishabh Pant (wk), KL Rahul, Harshit Rana, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Mohammed Siraj, Washington Sundar.

Australia Squad for First Test: Pat Cummins (c), Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitch Marsh, Nathan McSweeney, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc.