'Throwing me in deep end': Ricky Ponting takes fresh dig at Gautam Gambhir over Virat Kohli remarks

A few days after referring to him as a 'prickly character', Australian cricket legend Ricky Ponting has launched a new criticism against Team India head coach Gautam Gambhir.

The controversy began when the former Australia captain expressed concerns about India's star batsman Virat Kohli's recent struggles in Test cricket. In response to Ponting's comments about India's senior batsman, Gambhir fired back, stating that Ponting should focus on Australian cricket rather than India.

Following Gambhir's strong reaction, the 49-year-old referred to the Indian coach as a "prickly character" and expressed no surprise at his remarks. Ponting clarified that his comments were taken out of context, emphasizing that he did not intend to undermine Kohli by questioning his place in the Indian Test team.

In his latest statement, the Australian great suggested that Gambhir's comments indicated a sense of fear following India's recent series loss to New Zealand. Ponting implied that Gambhir was attempting to deflect attention by putting pressure on him, hoping that if his two batsmen perform well in the upcoming series, they could shift blame onto him.

“I'm not sure if I mentioned a couple of them, but I reckon he's just throwing me in the deep end, trying to find their two most experienced and make sure when they come out, they put that back on me,” he said on ‘The Run Home with Joel & Fletch’ podcast.

Ponting emphasized that his comments were in response to a specific inquiry regarding Kohli's recent performance in test cricket. He also mentioned that Australia would be an ideal place for Kohli to regain his form, but unfortunately, the reporter failed to include this crucial detail when questioning Gambhir.

“I was asked the other night if I was concerned about Virat Kohli's form. A day before, I had read his stats from the last five years, so it was clear in my mind. I think he made only two (three) centuries in the last five years. His average in India is now down to 30 from 90, during this period,” he said.

“So yes, I would be concerned. And I said if you ask him about his form, he would be concerned because it is nowhere near what it used to be. But then I said since he loves playing in Australia and has a great record here, so if there ever was a tour where he could turn things around, it would be this.

“But they never talked about the second part. Then Gambhir went and faced the press having just lost against New Zealand. The hair on the back of his neck is already standing up. We got a bit of history as well, but he took a chance to fire back at me,” he concluded.

The highly anticipated five-match Test series is set to kick off on November 22 at Perth Stadium. Former Indian captain Virat Kohli holds a special place for this venue, having delivered a stellar performance with a century in 2018. His iconic celebration after reaching the milestone remains etched in the memories of cricket fans worldwide. Notably, Kohli made history by becoming the first player to score a Test century at the inaugural match held at this new stadium.

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