'Indians Don't Fear Big Stages,' Ricky Ponting Credits Virat Kohli's Captaincy For Test Success
Ricky Ponting lauds Virat Kohli's transformative captaincy in Test cricket (X.com)
Ahead of the highly anticipated Border Gavaskar Trophy, former Australian captain Ricky Ponting revealed how India's rise in Test cricket, especially in overseas conditions, began under Virat Kohli's captaincy as he instilled a fearless approach in his troops.
Indian fans are not accustomed to India dominating a cricketing giant nation like Australia in Test format. However, India's overseas unbeaten record in the Border Gavaskar Trophy since 2018 is a testament to their new evolving era of red-ball cricket.
That being said, India is set to face Australia in a five-game Test series starting in November, with an aim to extend their dominant run Down Under. Ahead of the series, former Australia captain Ricky Ponting credited Virat Kohli's captaincy for enforcing a change in approach. He recalled how India's fast bowling depth evolved under Kohli's leadership.
The trend was then continued under Rahul Dravid's mentorship, and hence, in this day and age, a spin-dominant nation like India is producing exceptional pacers.
"Their fast-bowling depth is great. The leadership in the last 6-7 years has been strong, going back to Kohli's start of captaincy, played a big role in turning the cricket around and Dravid has continued the same in the recent four years. The influence of someone like that [Kohli] around a team would be great and they've got star players," Ponting said.
Ricky Ponting, who was a mentor for Delhi Capitals in the IPL, disclosed that youngsters in India no longer fear the big stage due to their exposure to the IPL.
"For the last 10 years being around the IPL, I've noticed that a lot of the young guys [don't fear the big stage anymore] as the IPL is high-pressure, it is like a World Cup for them. Their batsmen are all very aggressive stroke-making players. They are not scared of failing," he added.
The franchise league is fiercely competitive, and young players treat it like the World Cup. Hence, that experience helps them prepare for the atmosphere of international cricket.
Pat Cummins motivated to end India's dream run in Australia
Australian captain Pat Cummins fired a warning to India ahead of the Border Gavaskar Trophy, stating that it was about time for Australia to seek revenge.
India dominated the last two series in Aussie conditions, and hence, it's time to make amends. Cummins added that his team knows how to beat India, and he will draw inspiration from the last World Test Championship final result to fire up his boys in the five-game Test series.
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