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Following Australia’s emphatic 3-1 series victory over India to reclaim the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, Ricky Ponting has given a glowing tribute to the team’s resilience and adaptability at the ICC Review.
The win in Sydney marked a major milestone for the Australian squad as it recaptured the Border-Gavaskar Trophy after 10 years, after consecutive series losses between the teams.
Reflecting on Australia’s early struggles, Ponting commented on the stark contrast between their performance in the first Test and the rest of the series. “When I look back at the start of this series and just see how far the Australian team was in that first match, I think there is a lot of criticism of the team,” Ponting told ICC Review. had been “It almost seemed a little un-Australian.”
The home side started the series on a losing note, with Jasprit Bumrah’s heroics with the ball followed by brilliant centuries from Yashwi Jaiswal and Virat Kohli in Perth. The crushing defeat sparked widespread debate within – and outside – the team, and Ponting believes the long break between the first two matches was a turning point.
“When you lose a Test match like this against a very strong opposition team, you have to do a bit of soul-searching and a lot of talking. I think one thing that probably helped Australia was earlier. There was a big gap between the two games,” he said.
“I think the break gave the Australians a chance to get out there and get away from the media speculation and the white noise. It gave them a chance to work on what they needed to do going into the Adelaide game. Given enough time.
It proved invaluable for the Aussies, as players like Travis Head and Cummins rose to the occasion at key moments. Ponting noted that, as we saw, it was a very good arrangement as these men performed best at the back end of the five Test matches.
Australia’s bowling attack was central to their success, with a quarter of the bowlers continuing in the same vein that established them as one of the best attacks of all time. The bowling group has achieved some incredible things in itself. (Josh) Hazlewood, (Mitchell) Starc, Cummins and (Nathan) Lyon, I think all have taken about 300 wickets. “This is the first time in Test match history that you have four bowlers with such a record in the same line-up.”
According to Ponting, Australia’s dominance from the second Test in Adelaide was not limited to traditional strongholds. “When you look at it, in the conditions you think India would normally play well in, Australia found a way to beat them in Melbourne and Sydney. So it was a really good turnaround and one that he’s happy with. There will be,” said Ponting.
“Now they own every bilateral trophy around the world. And they’ve got the 50-over World Cup and the World Test Championship. They’ve achieved some amazing things together.
Ponting was also impressed with Cummins’ leadership and match-winning partnership. Ranked third among Test all-rounders, Cummins had a brilliant series, taking 25 wickets (second in the series) and scoring 159 valuable runs. “Pat has grown as a player, he’s grown as a leader,” the former Australian captain said.
As a captain, whenever things get tough, he doesn’t look to anyone else. He throws himself back into direct attack and often fails to deliver.”
Despite the win though, Ponting also acknowledged the inevitable need for regeneration within the team, citing the average age in the current Australian team. “There is not a single player in this team in their 20s. You have 19 and everyone else is over 30. That will be the next challenge for this Australian group,” he said.
“That’s going to be the next challenge for this Australian group, not just for the Australian team, but for Australian cricket to bring out this new group of young players. There aren’t many opportunities that present themselves.
The upcoming tours to Sri Lanka and the West Indies offer opportunities to blood young talent, although Ponting warned of challenges ahead. “We have to tour Sri Lanka and then the West Indies next summer before the Ashes. If they are trying to bring in young players, maybe they need to start in Sri Lanka and the West Indies,” he said. said “And if you’re bringing young players into the Sri Lanka tour, it’s not going to be an easy place for anyone to start.”-Courtesy ICC
