"I don't think they're as daunted by the Gabba or the Optus Oval, as they maybe once were"- Ricky Ponting on India's recent Test success in Australia
Former Australian captain Ricky Ponting feels Team India doesn't feel intimidated anymore to face Australia down under. The latter's fearlessness on the big stage was the biggest reason behind their Test series victories in the last two tours Down Under.
Despite playing bilateral Test series against Australia since the late 1940s, India had never tasted a series win in Australia for over 70 years. However, they flipped the script in their previous two tours of Australia in 2018/19 and 2020/21 with back-to-back 2-1 series wins.
Speaking on Sky Sports as seen on the YouTube channel 'Sky Sports Cricket,' Ponting pointed to India's lack of fear for the big occasion. He also highlighted the batters' adaptability to overseas conditions as the reason for their recent success in Australia.
"They won a game at the Gabba, which just doesn't happen. I think their batsmen adapt to overseas batting conditions very well. I don't think they're as daunted by the Gabba or the Optus Oval, as they maybe once were. Maybe it is a selection thing, or they just don't fear the big stage anymore," said Ponting.
Ponting also felt the IPL has helped young Indian players perform better in high-pressure situations.
"For the last 10 years being around the IPL, I've noticed that a lot of the young guys [don't fear the big stage anymore] as the IPL is high-pressure, it is like a World Cup for them. Their batsmen are all very aggressive stroke-making players. They are not scared of failing," he added.
India have won the previous four bilateral Test series against Australia with their last series defeat in the 2014/15 tour.
"The leadership in the last 6-7 years has been strong, going back to Kohli's start of captaincy" - Ricky Ponting
Ricky Ponting also credited India's strong leadership starting with Virat Kohli from the 2014/15 Australian tour for their turnaround in overseas Tests.
Kohli captained India to their first-ever Test series win in Australia in the 2018/19 tour. He was also the captain to start their 2020/21 series down under but left home for personal reasons after the first Test.
"Their fast-bowling depth is great. The leadership in the last 6-7 years has been strong, going back to Kohli's start of captaincy, played a big role in turning the cricket around and Dravid has continued the same in the recent four years. The influence of someone like that [Kohli] around a team would be great and they've got star players," said Ponting via the aforementioned source.
The next chapter in the much-anticipated Border Gavaskar Trophy will be a five-Test series played in Australia, starting at Perth on November 22.