Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting wants the same Australia XI for the Adelaide Test against India as the first match and has suggested an aggressive mindset against the world-class Indian bowling line-up to bounce back in the series.
India registered a monumental 295-run victory in the first Test of the Border Gavaskar Trophy in Perth to go 1-0 up in the five-Test series as Jasprit Bumrah-led side dined out on a struggling Aussie batting line-up.
While Ponting acknowledged Australia was well below their best in the first Test, the former skipper wants no team changes made for the pink-ball contest in Adelaide.
"I'd be sticking with the same side. I think you have to show faith in champion players and a lot of the guys that we're talking about in this team have been champion players. Maybe not for a little while, but they have proven their ability on the big stage," Ponting declared on the latest episode of The ICC Review.
There's been criticism for the batting skills of former No.1 ranked Test batter Marnus Labuschagne for his performance in the first Test. The right-hander made just 2 and 3, respectively, in the loss against India in the first Test, and after this series, calls for dropping him have emerged.
"He's really got to find a way to turn it around. Marnus looked the most tentative out of all the batters in Perth. Yes, it was high-quality bowling on a difficult wicket, but he needs to find a way to turn it around," Ponting said of Labuschagne.
Ponting has further said that the importance of aggression was especially crucial against top-class bowlers like Bumrah, who completely destroyed the Australian line-up with an important five-wicket haul in the first innings.
You've got to find a way to take risks and put it back on those guys because you know Bumrahs of the world they're not going to give you too many easy scoring opportunities and when they do you've got to be ready to pounce on it and put it away and try and put some pressure back on them," Ponting explained.
Ponting cited Virat Kohli’s second-innings century in Perth as a prime example of this approach. After being dismissed for just five in the first innings, Kohli came back to register his 30th Test century in the second dig to help India set a massive target of 534 for Australia.
He mentioned the century by Virat Kohli in the second innings at Perth as one of the best examples of an aggressive approach. Coming out after being dismissed for only five runs in the first innings, Kohli made a 30th Test century in the second innings, playing a significant role in helping India set Australia a daunting target of 534.
"Virat went back to trusting his game and he looked like a different player in the second innings than he did in the first innings. He got away from trying to combat the opposition and focused on his strengths. That's what Marnus and (Steve) Smith need to do - find their own way and show great intent," Ponting said.
Ponting believes that a change in mindset might be the key to unlocking Australia's potential on the pink ball Test. "Think about scoring runs first and not think about getting out first. That's always a challenge for a batter, especially when you're not in great form. There's only one way to change it and that is to be positive and show great intent," Ponting concluded.
The second Test - a day-night match - is to be played from 6th of December to 10th in Adelaide.
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