Former Australian skipper Ricky Ponting has rallied behind under-fire Virat Kohli and has backed him to make a comeback from this lean patch. Virat Kohli has been India’s most solid batter across formats for the decade. However, his form in the last two years has been concerning. Virat’s last international century came in 2019 against Bangladesh. His prolonged batting slump has drawn a lot of criticism from experts and fans.
Virat Kohli struggled in the Indian Premier League 2022 season earlier this year. He also could not make much of an impact in the recently concluded India’s tour of England. The right-handed batter’s form has become a hot topic in the cricketing world. With the ICC T20 World 2022 around the corner, many experts questioned Kohli’s place in the Indian team.
However, former Australian skipper Ricky Ponting has voiced a different opinion. He feels that the 33-year-old Indian cricketer is worth persisting. Speaking to Sanjana Ganesan for ICC Review, Ricky Ponting expressed that the Indian management should protect the batter and make him comfortable during this lean patch.
“If you leave Virat out of the eve of the World Cup, and someone comes in and has a reasonable tournament, it will be hard for Virat to get back in it,” Ponting said.
“If I was India, I will keep pushing with him, because I know the upside. They actually need to get him back confident and playing as well as he can, that upside is better than most. So I think if I was a captain or a coach around the Indian set-up, I will be making life as easy as possible for him to feel as comfortable as possible, and just wait for him to flick the switch and start scoring runs again,” he added.
🗣️ "If I was an opposition captain, I'd be fearing playing an Indian team that has Virat Kohli in it."
Ricky Ponting shared his insight on India's Kohli dilemma on The ICC Review 📺
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I was in the opposition, I will be fearing playing an Indian team that has Virat Kohli in it: Ricky Ponting
Former Australian skipper Ricky Ponting expressed that he would fear playing against an Indian team featuring Virat Kohli more than a team that doesn’t have him. He added that every great player goes through a rough patch but eventually finds their way back to form. Ricky Ponting said,
“I think if I was an opposition captain or an opposition player, I will be fearing playing an Indian team that has Virat Kohli in it, more than I would be one that doesn’t have him in it. I know there have been some challenges for him, it’s been a difficult time. But every great player that I have seen in this game has been through it at some stage, whether that’s a batsman or a bowler, they have all been through it.”
“And somehow, the best (players) find a way to rebound and respond, and it’s only a matter of time before Virat does that,” added Ricky Ponting.
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