Ricky Ponting‘s conviction about Australia emerging victorious in the coming Border Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) against India has strengthened, as the former Australia skipper stuck to his previous prediction in an interview with the International Cricket Council (ICC).
In August this year, Ponting had predicted Australia to win the BGT 3-1, and he is now even more convinced about it after the chances of veteran pacer Mohammad Shami making a comeback during the series virtually ended.
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Shami has reportedly picked up a side strain, which will further delay his return following an ankle surgery and rehab; and Ponting feels taking 20 wickets in a Test in Australia will be tough for India, despite having vice-captain Jasprit Bumrah as their bowling spearhead.
“Shami just leaves such a big hole in that bowling group,” Ponting told the ICC website. “Back then (in August) there was still some conjecture whether Shami would be fit or not. Taking 20 wickets in a Test match for India is going to be the biggest challenge. I think they’ll bat well enough out here with the current group of batters that they’ve got.”
Compounding India’s problems could be their lack of confidence after a historic 0-3 whitewash at home by New Zealand. But Ponting says the visitors might win one of the five Tests.
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“I think India will win a Test match somewhere through the five Test matches,” Ponting predicted.
“But I still think now, Australia probably look a bit more settled, a bit more experienced and we know that they’re a very hard team to beat at home. So I’ll stick with the 3-1 (prediction).”
Ponting, who will be coaching Punjab Kings in IPL 2025 after his long stint with the Delhi Capitals, was also asked who according to him could lead the run-scoring charts in the series.
He mentioned a couple of names — one from each team.
“Leading run scorer, I’m going to go (with) Steve Smith or Rishabh Pant,” said Ponting.
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Pant was the best Indian batsman on show in an otherwise dismal show in three Tests against New Zealand, which also saw the hosts getting bowled out for just 46 in the first innings of the Bengaluru Test. It is India’s lowest total in a Test innings at home.
The left-handed wicketkeeper-batsman ended on top of the run-scorers’ list in the series, aggregating 261 runs in six innings at an average of 43.50, including three half-centuries and a highest of 99.
Before that, Pant scored 161 runs in two Tests against Bangladesh at an average of 53.66, marking his return to red-ball internationals with a century.
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“With Rishabh back in the side and probably coming into bat in the middle order when the ball’s probably lost a bit of its shine and a bit of its hardness and the form that he’s in, I’ll go for him as one of the leading run-scorers as well,” said Pointing.
On Smith, he said: “I think Smith, the fact that he’s moved back down from opener to No. 4 probably makes it feel like he’s got more of a point to prove…that maybe he shouldn’t have gone up to open in the first place and that No. 4 is his spot and where he should have probably been the whole time.”
The first Test of the series begins in Perth on November 22.