“The obvious one is Gilly” - Ricky Ponting compares Aussie batter to Adam Gilchrist ahead of BGT 2024-25 3rd Test
Former Australian captain Ricky Ponting has compared Travis Head to his former teammate Adam Gilchrist for his ability to play aggressively, regardless of the situation. Ponting said it's sensational to watch Head the way he goes about his business and would sit back to watch him play any day.
The South Australian played a decisive role in the hosts' 10-wicket win over Team India in the second Test in Adelaide. With Head coming in at No. 5 and the game's ability to swing either way, the southpaw smashed 140 off 141 deliveries to help Australia lead by 157. The Aussies eventually won by 10 wickets.
Speaking on the episode of the ICC Review, Ponting, who captained Gilchrist on numerous occasions in Tests, recalled how the keeper-batter came at No. 6 or 7 to cause damage.
"The obvious one is Gilly. The way that Head plays is in a very similar way to the way that Gilchrist played, albeit a couple of positions higher in the batting order. Gilly was a six or seven, and Travis is doing his damage at No.5. I love sitting back and watching him play. It’s quite refreshing to watch guys play that way. It doesn’t matter what the situation is, Travis is going to come out and play the same way, and I love that," he claimed.
In the process, Head also became the first batter to score over 1,000 runs against India across formats since 2023, amassing 1,052.
"I don't think you can call him a great just yet" - Ricky Ponting on Travis Head
Despite acknowledging Head has stood up for the team in some of the toughest situations, Ponting resisted calling the southpaw great yet.
"I don't think you can call him a great just yet. That's no knock on what he's doing because what he's doing has been spectacular. And a lot of the times, it's been when his team's needed him the most. Think about the World Cup semi-final, the World Cup final, World Test Championship, Ashes in Australia a couple of years ago. Big moments are when Travis has found a way to stand up," he said in the same interaction.
The third Australia-India Test starts in Brisbane on Saturday, December 14.