In a press conference held today in Mumbai, former India opener Gautam Gambhir addressed several topics and spoke out concerning criticism he has faced online. One of his more pointed responses was to the recent comments made by Australian cricket legend Ricky Ponting, who had expressed his concerns over the form of star Indian batters Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma.

Gautam Gambhir dismissed the comments, saying Ponting should get worried over Aussie cricket and not over the lineup of Indians. Former Australian middle-order stalwart Michael Hussey reacted to the debate by saying that Kohli and Rohit will bounce back from the criticism they have received.

“We’ll see where they are mentally and in terms of skill in the first Test match,” he said while speaking to Fox Cricket. “It’s foolish to dismiss champion players like Rohit and Kohli. History has shown us repeatedly that they can come back stronger in the face of adversity.”

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While he is being supportive of the Indian pair proving themselves in Australia, he still feels the Aussies will be his favourites going into the series. “I am backing them to perform well in Australia; they are proud Indians and proud Test players. But Australia, I feel, will have the edge, ” he added.

Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma had disappointing pitches against New Zealand, scoring 93 and 91 runs respectively across six innings. Though, as Hussey said, the high-value Border-Gavaskar series could be just the thing for them to regain their form and make a big impact in this.

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Their success is going to be important for India, especially when there is added pressure to qualify for the final of the World Test Championship. As the Tests approach, Kohli and Rohit will be the Indians who will shine the light on the Indians’ attack towards Australia in a series that promises to be a battle to the finish.