Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting has doffed his hat to the IPL for developing a new breed of Indian batters who are fearless, which, in turn, has helped India succeed in Test cricket away from home. Speaking on Sky Sports, Ponting said that the high-pressure environment of the IPL has prepared the Indian players to handle the challenging conditions and do well away from home, especially in Australia.
Back-to-back wins for India in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia have just established the fact that they are getting better and better as far as foreign soil is concerned. The reason, according to Ponting, lies in how the Indian batters have adapted to foreign conditions and learned to perform well over there. He spoke about how players from India do not look daunted by the aura of venues like the Gabba or the Optus Oval anymore.
Ricky Ponting said, “They won a game at the Gabba, which just doesn’t happen. I think their batsmen adapt to overseas batting conditions very well. I don’t think they’re as daunted by the Gabba or the Optus Oval, as they maybe once were. Maybe it is a selection thing, or they just don’t fear the big stage anymore.”
ALSO READ: Ishan Kishan’s Stunning Century Marks Triumphant Return In Duleep Trophy 2024
He further attributed this shift to experience gained from 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. The IPL is high-pressure, it’s like a World Cup for them. Their batsmen are all very aggressive stroke-making players. They are not scared of failing,” Ricky Ponting added.
Ponting was also all praise for India’s quicks and attributed it to none other than Kohli himself for making this talent come good. He credited both Kohli and his successor, Rahul Dravid, for revolutionizing the state of affairs in Indian cricket.
“Their fast-bowling depth is great. The leadership in the last 6-7 years, starting with Kohli’s captaincy and continuing with Dravid, has been pivotal. The influence of someone like Kohli around a team is invaluable,” Ricky Ponting said.
WATCH – Shubman Gill’s Intense Gym Workouts Ahead Of Bangladesh Test Series
India will go to Australia in November as the guest nation for the Test match series, which is a five-match series. This is the first time Rohit Sharma is going to tour Australia as the captain of the team. Earlier, under the captaincy of Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane too, India won Test series.
