Former Australian captain Ricky Ponting reckons Virat Kohli and Cheteshwar Pujara have key roles to play for Team India in the World Test Championship final against Australia. The mega-clash is all set to take place from June 7 to June 11 at The Oval, London. The duo has reached England and is gearing up for the World Test Championship final.
Cheteshwar Pujara is heading into the final on the back of a great run for Sussex in the County Championship. In eight matches, he slammed 1094 runs at an average of 109.40, with five centuries to his name. Meanwhile, Virat Kohli too was in good form in the recently concluded Indian Premier League 2023 season. He slammed two centuries in the tournament.
Speaking to ICC Review, former cricketer Ricky Ponting expressed that Virat Kohli and Cheteshwar Pujara will be crucial to Team India’s success at the World Test Championship final. He said,
“The Australian team will be talking about Virat, no doubt about it, and they’ll be talking about Pujara.’
“They’re the two. Pujara has been a thorn in their side a lot in the past, and in Australia, and this wicket will potentially be a lot more like an Australian pitch. They know that they’ll have to get him early,” he added.
Virat Kohli back to his best, is an ominous warning: Ricky Ponting
Virat Kohli has great experience of playing in England conditions. He has played 16 Test matches, scoring 1033 runs at an average of 33.32, with two centuries and five fifties. Former cricketer Ricky Ponting expressed that Virat Kohli is back to his best, which is a dangerous warning for the Australian team. Ponting said,
“They also know that Virat over the last few weeks is probably just about back to his absolute best, albeit in T20 cricket.”
“He told me that the feeling he’s getting right now is that he’s almost back to his best, and that’s an ominous warning for the Australians going into a one-off game,” added Ricky Ponting.
Get the latest cricket news here, like us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter and Instagram for more such updates.