DUBAI: Australia legend Ricky Ponting has thrown his support behind former top-ranked batter Virat Kohli, who has been struggling recently, saying that he would be afraid of an Indian team that included Virat.
Ponting, in the latest episode of ICC Review, backed the former Indian captain Kohli by stating that the latter still has a meaningful impact and also that as an opposing captain, he would fear a side that comprised Virat.
“I think if I was an opposition captain or an opposition player, I will be fearing playing an Indian team that has Virat Kohli in it, more than I would be one that doesn’t have him in it,” Ponting asserted.
“I know there have been some challenges for him, it’s been a difficult time,” he added.
EXCLUSIVE: Ricky Ponting’s strong comments on what should happen next with Virat Kohli.
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The former Australian captain then expanded his support for the struggling right-handed batter by claiming that every great has been through it at some stage of his career.
“But every great player that I have seen in this game has been through it at some stage, whether that’s a batsman or a bowler, they have all been through it,” Ponting claimed.
“And somehow, the best [players] find a way to rebound and respond, and it’s only a matter of time before Virat does that,” he maintained.
The World Cup-winning Australian captain also predicted that if India opt to omit Virat for the upcoming T20 World Cup then there might be no way back for him, while also claiming if he would be the authority then he would keep pushing him, knowing the upsides of backing.
“If you leave Virat out of the eve of the World Cup, and someone comes in and has a reasonable tournament, it will be hard for Virat to get back in it,” Ponting said.
“If I was India, I will keep pushing with him, because I know the upside. If they actually get him back confident and [play] as well as he can, that upside is better than most. So I think if I was a captain or a coach around the Indian [set-up], I will be making life as easy as possible for him to feel as comfortable as possible, and just wait for him to flick the switch and start scoring runs again,” he added.
It is pertinent to mention here that Kohli had reached the milestone of 70 international centuries in 2019 and has batted more than 100 innings since then without scoring a century. He scored his last century against Bangladesh.
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