Former India captain Gautam Gambhir has responded to former Australia captain Ricky Ponting after the latter questioned Virat Kohli's position in the Test team with a series of low scores. Gambhir stood by his senior players, including the captain Rohit Sharma, and suggested that Ponting is better concentrating on cricket in Australia instead.
Their much-awaited three-match home series against New Zealand was seen in glimpses of little of their usual best. Rohit could score only 91 runs in six innings, while Kohli managed 93 runs with 70 of those coming in the second innings of the first Test in Bengaluru.
What has Ricky Ponting got to do with Indian cricket? He should be speaking of Australia. Look, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma are still hungry for the game and want to achieve more, Gambhir said in a pre-departure press conference.
He said: "They are hungry for success and have done exceptionally well for the country over the years. Even the other players are doing a fine job, and I am sure we will improve as a group. I have no concerns regarding Virat and Rohit."
I have no concerns whatsoever for Rohit and Virat," Gambhir said while trying to dispel the notion that they may be over the hill. "I think they are incredibly tough men, have achieved a lot for Indian cricket, and will continue to do so," he added.
"I just have to make sure that their hunger is still there, and they continue to work really hard," Gambhir said of his two charges.
Ponting said in the ICC Review: "I saw a stat the other day about Virat, it said he's only scored two (three) Test hundreds in the last five years. That did not seem right to me, but if that is right, then that is, I mean, that's a concern.". There would probably be no one else playing international cricket as a top-order batsman who has scored only two hundred Test match innings in five years.
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