Gautam Gambhir, the Indian cricket team coach, was in an aggressive mood during the pre-Australia tour press conference. Over the team’s 0-3 clean sweep at home against New Zealand and Australia series readiness, Gambhir faced the quizzing from reporters even though it was tough on Monday. When he hears what the former Australia captain Ricky Ponting has to say about India’s star batsman Virat Kohli’s current form which, within the last five years of his Test career, has included only two hundreds, Gambhir goes on the offensive and shuts this down.
“What does Ponting have to do with Indian cricket? I think he should think about Australian cricket and more importantly have no concerns whatsoever for Virat and Rohit. I think they are incredibly tough men. They’ve achieved a lot for Indian cricket and they will continue to achieve a lot in the future as well,” said Gambhir in press conference.
Sporting a smile was Gambhir who was still confident of the duo Kohli and Sharma stating that they are practicing in the nets, which is the beneficial aspect for him. While the results of recent may not have been the most flattering of pictures, Gambhir still holds hope on the two players especially the driven and competitive nature they have exhibited.
“The way I see it, it is the fact that they are as devoted and committed and willing to put in the work that is most reassuring. I consider the hunger within that dressing room to be extremely important. As well as to that whole cohort of individuals who occupy those segregated areas between the dressing rooms. I think there is a great deal of hunger and particularly so after the last series,” Gambhir addressed the reporters.
Ponting said previously that he does not quite believe that any other top-order batter whoever existed in a top international team would have survived having made only about 2-3 centuries over the last five years.
“I read a stat the other day of Virat, it said that in the last five years, he has only made two (three) hundreds in Tests. That didn’t sound correct to me, but if it is, then that is, I mean, that is worrying,” Ponting had said during the ICC Review.
“Probably even playing international cricket in the same batting position. I do not think there would have been anyone who scored only two Test match hundreds in a span of five years,” he concluded.