"I'm not surprised it was him who said something back" - Ricky Ponting hits back at Gautam Gambhir for press conference remarks
Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting has fired back at Indian head coach Gautam Gambhir for his remarks at a recent press conference ahead of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. It all started when Ponting pointed out that Virat Kohli scoring only two Test centuries in the last five years has been a worry.
When asked about the same, Gambhir said in the press conference (via The Hindustan Times):
"What does Ricky Ponting have to do with Indian cricket? He should be talking about Australia. Look, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma are still passionate about the game and want to achieve more."
It even led to former India batter Sanjay Manjrekar calling for someone else to talk in press conferences instead of Gambhir.
Now, Ponting has responded to Gambhir's remarks. Speaking on Channel Seven, he said:
"I was surprised to read the reaction but knowing the coach, Gautam Gambhir... he's quite a prickly character, so I'm not surprised it was him who said something back. If you ask Virat, I'm sure Virat would be a little bit concerned that he hasn't been able to make the same amount of hundreds as he has in previous years."
For the record, Kohli has averaged under 30 in all but one season since 2020, with only two centuries in 34 Tests.
The 36-year-old struggled massively in India's recent 0-3 defeat to New Zealand at home, scoring only 93 runs at an average of under 16 in six innings.
"In no way was it a dig at him" - Ricky Ponting on Virat Kohli
Ricky Ponting further said his intention was not to take a dig at Virat Kohli when he highlighted the statistic that the batter had scored only two centuries in the last five years.
The former Australia captain credited Kohli for his performances Down Under and expected a bounce-back series from him.
"In no way was it a dig at him. I actually followed it up by saying he's played well in Australia and he'll be keen to bounce back over here. So it's amazing how little things can get cut up, but he's a class player and he's played well in Australia in the past," Ponting said in the same interview.
India will take on Australia in a blockbuster five-Test series Down Under, starting on November 22.
Kohli has historically been at his best in Tests on Australian soil, averaging 54.08 in 13 outings. He was also the first Indian captain to record a Test series win in Australia in 2018-19.