Think about Australian Cricket: Gautam Gambhir hits back at Ricky Ponting’s 'concerns' over Rohit and Virat’s form

Ahead of the high-stakes Border-Gavaskar Trophy between India and Australia, Indian head coach Gautam Gambhir dismissed Ricky Ponting’s concerns about the form of Indian stalwarts Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli.

Responding bluntly, Gambhir said that Ricky Ponting should think about Australian cricket.

India drew a blank in the Test series against New Zealand and lost 3-0, with the big guns like Virat and Rohit struggling to leave a mark and drawing criticism. The Australian series is scheduled to commence on November 22 in Perth.


"...What concerns he (Ponting) has for Indian cricket? Virat and Rohit are incredibly tough men. They've achieved a lot for Indian cricket and they will continue to achieve a lot. They still work really hard. They're still passionate. They still want to achieve a lot more and that is something which is very important," Gambhir said.

Backing his team, Gautam Gambhir further said that the hunger in that dressing room is incredibly important for him and for the entire group of people.

"I feel there's a lot of hunger, especially after what has happened in the last series," he said.

Gautam Gambhir's remarks come after the Australian legend pointed out that Virat has only scored two (three) Test hundreds in the last five years.

"That did not seem right to me, but if that is right, then that is, I mean, that is a concern. There would not be anyone else probably even playing international cricket as a top-order batsman that has only scored two Test match hundreds in five years," Ponting said Speaking on ICC Review.

Virat is heading to the Australian shores for a make-or-break series against Australia which could decide the direction of his Test career, having had a disastrous home season against Bangladesh and New Zealand.

The 36-year-old batsman would no doubt be fired up to do well against Australia, a team against which he enjoys an enviable record. However, he has remained under fire for his disappointing numbers in the decade of 2020s and a declining game against spin.

From 2016 to 2019, Kohli has averaged above 50 in Test cricket. But since then he has undergone a lean patch in the longest format, scoring 1838 runs from 34 Tests at an average of 31.68, comprising two centuries.