Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting has opened up on Team India’s combination after their 30-run defeat to South Africa in the opening Test in Kolkata. Although Washington Sundar batted well in his promoted No. 3 slot, Ponting believes he wouldn’t bat at the same spot overseas.
B Sai Sudharsan batted in that position during the previous series against the West Indies. But Sundar showed resilience in both innings, scoring 29 and 31. India, nevertheless, failed to chase down a paltry 124 in the fourth innings to concede a 0-1 lead.
When asked about the decision to promote Sundar, Ponting said the 26-year-old looks every bit like a Test batter, especially after his performance in England. But the two-time World Cup-winning captain warned that India cannot bat him at No. 3 in overseas Tests. He spoke on the latest episode of the ICC Review:
“I didn’t see the time and who he came in against. If he was coming in against left-arm spin, predominantly where the ball is spinning into the left-hand batter. You sort of break it down to what you were doing in the 50-over or 20-over game. You want to have the right match-ups there. So, it might have been something to do with that. He has done nothing wrong with the bat since he’s come into the Test side. What he did through that series in England – he looks every part as the Test-match batter. In the right conditions, he came at number three. I wouldn’t like him to bat at number three outside of India because there will be enough technique challenges outside of India to deal with.”
The 50-year-old continued that Sundar might have been promoted to fill the gap, given he was also picked as the fourth spinner.
“You probably look at that and think it’s a strange selection because the quality of batter that there is around India – you think, ‘Is he the best or is there someone potentially who can play better in the role?’ That might have been him filling the gap – him batting at three and being that fourth spinner in that side. It might have been to make up for that one game.”
With Rishabh Pant reportedly set to lead India in the second Test in Guwahati due to Shubman Gill‘s neck injury, Ponting backs the keeper-batter to handle the occasion well. He suggested that the captaincy lessons from IPL will serve Pant well enough.
“It’s never easy to come and fill in for a stop-gap captain, especially when you’ve lost a Test match few days before. Rishabh is reasonably an experienced Test-match player now and being a wicketkeeper probably helps him see how the game is evolving and what’s happening in the game. So, he’s done it in IPL for the last few years and did it for Delhi before that. I think he will be fine. It will be interesting to see how he plays as captain and how he manages his style of play as a batter. I think he will handle the occasion fine.”
Ponting, who worked with Pant at the Delhi Capitals, added:
“The one thing that is not spoken about these so called younger Indian players now is when they take the step up to play for India in Test match or leading the team and they get that experience from the IPL. The IPL is as big as a Test match for a lot of these guys because of the crowd and scrutiny that comes in the IPL. I think the modern players are a bit more ready for that, those leadership roles and the enormity of the situation than they might have been 15 years ago. So, I think Rishabh will look fine.”
Pant has captained in 57 IPL matches, winning 29 of them. However, the southpaw is yet to captain in any format at the international level.
“They don’t play spin as well as they did once as a batting group” – Ricky Ponting on Team India
With the pitch in Kolkata coming heavily under scrutiny, the 168-Test veteran suggested that it made little sense for India to prepare excessively turning wickets when their batters themselves struggle.
“I’ve been on record for a few years talking about this exactly. They prepare these wickets so much in favour of spinners that it negates the quality of their spin. It makes the opposition spinners that probably aren’t as skilful as the Indians. It makes them better when they get wickets that turn like that. The other knock on Indian cricket is that in the last five or six years, they don’t play spin as well as they did once as a batting group. So, for me, it’s just that they are evening it up for everybody else. I think New Zealand last year was a great example of that.”
Ponting, though, agreed with Gautam Gambhir‘s statement that 124 should’ve been chased down by the hosts.
“New Zealand outplayed them for wickets that were designed and meant for the Indian players. I saw Gambhir’s quote and it’s fair enough – chasing 120 in the last innings, they should’ve been able to get that done. But we’ve all seen pitches like that – you lose one wicket and you lose couple in a row and then the pressure comes on. There’s fielders around the bat everywhere.”
India must win the second Test against South Africa in Guwahati to avoid another home series defeat within a year.
Edited by Srinjoy Sanyal
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