Former Australian skipper, Ricky Ponting has opined that India will be able to defend their title in upcoming Asia Cup 2022 and also feels that the men in blue will be win the game against arch-rivals Pakistan as well. A clash between India and Pakistan is as big as it gets when it comes to cricket in the international arena. The two arch-rivals have had some fierce battles in the past and the passion experienced when the two neighbouring nations cannot be reciprocated.

During a chat with Sanjana Ganesan on The ICC Review, Ricky Ponting acknowledged, “To be totally honest it’s one that we’ve been starved of, haven’t we … looking back the last 15 or 20 years. As a cricket lover like I am and a cricket observer, any time those sorts of battles come up it’s almost always nice to sit back and watch because everything just goes up a notch, doesn’t it?”

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Ricky Ponting knows a thing or two about fierce rivalries, having been an integral part of Ashes history and playing some era-defining games against England. However, the former Australian skipper reckons the rivalry between India and Pakistan would be no less when they compete in Tests.

Ricky Ponting explained, “When I think about rivalries, Australia and England and Ashes cricket is the pinnacle I’ve always thought of for our Test match game. I’m sure India and Pakistanis will say the same about that and the actual rivalry would be the pinnacle of Test match cricket for those two countries as well.”

The next chapter of the Asian rivalry is set to unfold at the Asia Cup 2022 on August 28, at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. The last time the two sides met was in the ICC World T20 2021, where the Men in Green registered a comprehensive 10-wicket win over. Even so, Ponting has backed India in the upcoming encounter, predicting them to win a record-extending eighth Asia Cup title.

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Ricky Ponting concluded, “I’ll stick with India to win that clash against Pakistan. That’s taking nothing away from Pakistan because they are an incredible cricket nation that continues to present out-and-out superstar players. It’s always hard to go past India in any tournament, not just an Asia Cup, but I think every time we talk about the T20 World Cup which is coming up, I think that India will be right in the thick of it there. Their depth is definitely better than the other teams and I think India will win the Asia Cup.”