Former Australian captain Ricky Ponting discussed Virat Kohli‘s popularity in Australia ahead of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, noting that Kohli has earned it through his strong performances on previous tours.
Despite struggling for runs and being out of form recently, the 36-year-old remains a key player that the Australian team is cautious of. Kohli boasts an impressive average of 54.08 in 13 Test matches in Australia, with 1,352 runs.
On the ICC Review podcast, Ponting expressed that he wasn’t surprised by Kohli’s warm reception in Australia. The 49-year-old also reflected on the hostile reception Steve Smith faces in England, emphasizing that it’s all part of the drama of international cricket.
“That’s what superstar players generate and create all around the world. And there’s lots of different degrees of that. You talk about the media here and the following that Virat has in Australia.”
“That’s on the back of having been here and played well in the past. You think about other players like when Steve Smith goes to the UK and gets booed when he walks onto the ground. I mean, that’s all part of, I guess, the theatre that comes with international sports.”
Given Kohli’s declining performance each year, this is likely to be his last tour of Australia. The experienced batter had a tough time in the recent home series against New Zealand, managing only 93 runs across six innings.
“I expect the game to be played on the edge”- Ricky Ponting
Although Ponting doesn’t anticipate any verbal confrontations during the Test series, he expects the matches to be filled with intense skill and competition. The Tasmanian noted that both teams will be determined not to give their opponents an inch, adding:
“I don’t know if spice is the right word, but I expect the game to be played sort of almost on the edge, if you like, with two of the best teams in the world not wanting to give an inch to each other.”
“Not wanting to give an inch to the opposition, not wanting to lose a single contest through the course of those whole five Test matches. And I think that’s the beauty about these great rivalries we have in world sport.”
The stakes will be significant, particularly for Australia, who have not defeated India in the last four series.
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