"He's a prickly character": Pont0ing responds to Gambhir's jibe

As the first Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) at Perth's Optus Stadium comes close, the war of words between cricketing personalities from both the sides has only got intense.

During a recent episode of the ICC Review, Ponting had raised concerns over Virat's Test form over the last few years, having scored just two Test centuries since 2020. He had said, "I saw a stat the other day about Virat, it said he has 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 is a concern."

"There would not be anyone else probably even playing international cricket as a top-order batsman that has only scored two Test match hundreds in five years," he added.

In the same episode, he had also backed Virat to deliver, saying that the star has a fine record in Australia and one "should not question the greats of the game".

Responding to Ponting's words during the pre-departure press conference, Gambhir had lashed out at Ponting saying that skipper Rohit Sharma and Virat are still passionate about their cricket and the Australian should worry about his team instead.

"Not at all (if concerned about Rohit and Virat's form)...Ponting should think about Australian cricket, what concerns he has for Indian cricket? Virat and Rohit are incredibly tough men. They've achieved a lot for Indian cricket and they will continue to achieve a lot," Gambhir said in the press conference on Monday.

"They still work really hard. They are still passionate. They still want to achieve a lot more and that is something which is very important. The hunger in that dressing room is incredibly important for me and for the entire group of people as well in that dressing room. I feel there is a lot of hunger, especially after what has happened in the last series (a whitewash loss by 0-3 to New Zealand at home)," he further added.

Now responding to Gambhir's statement, Ponting said at Channel 7 as quoted by Wisden that it was not a dig at Virat at all and in fact the star batter himself would be concerned about his lack of centuries in Tests over the years. He also said that he is not surprised at the hitback received from a "prickly" Gambhir.

"I said I would be concerned, but I think if you ask Virat, I am sure Virat would be a little bit concerned that he has not been able to make the same amount of hundreds as he has in previous years," said Ponting as quoted by Wisden to Channel 7.

"In no way was it a dig at him. I actually followed it up by saying he has played well in Australia and he will be keen to bounce back over here. So, it is amazing how little things can get cut up, but he is a class player and he has played well in Australia in the past."

"I was surprised to read the reaction but knowing the coach, Gautam Gambhir ... he is quite a prickly character, so I am not surprised it was him who said something back," he concluded.

This year in 19 matches across international formats, Virat has just scored 488 runs at a shockingly low average of 20.33, with just two half-centuries in 25 innings and best score of 76. It is his Test form this season which has disappointed many, as he could score just 192 runs in five matches against Bangladesh, New Zealand across 10 innings, averaging just 21.33 and hitting just one fifty.

But Australia could very well be a stage for an ultimate redemption act for Virat. He holds a fine Test record in Australia, scoring 1,352 runs in 13 Tests at an average of 54.08, with six centuries and four fifties in 25 innings. His best score is 169. Across all formats in Australia, Virat has scored 3,426 runs at an average of 56.16, with 11 centuries and 19 fifties in 70 innings. His best score is 169.

With a 3-0 series whitewash against New Zealand at home, India need to win the series by 4-0 to punch their ticket to feature in London for the WTC final for the third successive time directly.

After the series opener in Perth on November 22, the second Test, featuring the day-night format, will take place under lights at Adelaide Oval from December 6 to 10. Fans will then turn their attention to The Gabba in Brisbane for the third Test from December 14 to 18.

The traditional Boxing Day Test, scheduled from December 26 to 30 at Melbourne's iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground, will mark the series' penultimate stage.

The fifth and final Test will be held at the Sydney Cricket Ground from January 3 to 7, promising an exciting climax to a highly anticipated series.

India's squad for Border-Gavaskar Series: Rohit Sharma (c), Jasprit Bumrah (vc), Ravichandran Ashwin, Mohammad Shami, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Shubman Gill, Ravindra Jadeja, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Sarfaraz Khan, Virat Kohli, Prasidh Krishna, Rishabh Pant (wk), KL Rahul, Harshit Rana, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Mohammed Siraj, Washington Sundar.

Australia squad for the first Test: Pat Cummins (c), Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitch Marsh, Nathan McSweeney, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc. (ANI)