Legendary captain Ricky Ponting has advised struggling Australian batters Marnus Labuschagne and Steve Smith to follow Indian batting maestro Virat Kohli to regain their form ahead of the second Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
Kohli, during the second innings of the first Test of the Border-Gavaskar series against Australia, etched his name in the history books as he struck his 30th century in the format, going past legendary Sir Don Bradman‘s tally of Test hundreds.
Kohli walked out to bat on the third day carrying the weight of four single-digit scores in his last five innings and a 16-month century drought. He last scored a century during the ICC ODI World Cup 2023 semi-final against New Zealand.
However, he displayed a masterclass in strokeplay, marking his return to form with an unbeaten knock of 100 runs off 143 balls, laced with eight boundaries and two sixes.
His innings propelled India to a commanding position before skipper Jasprit Bumrah declared with a staggering 533-run lead. In response, Australia crumbled to 238 all out in the final session on day four.
On the other hand, Australian batters struggled against a fiery pace attack of India. Labuschagne managed a mere five runs across two innings, while Smith was dismissed for a frustrating first-ball duck in the first innings and scored 17 runs in his second innings.
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Despite their disappointing displays, Ricky Ponting remained optimistic, believing that both players have the potential to regain their form.
“Marnus [Labuschagne] 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 told ICC Review.
“You have 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 cited Kohli’s example and encouraged Australian batters to trust in their abilities, drawing a parallel to Virat Kohli, who overcame similar challenges.
“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,” Ponting said.
“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.”
READ: Australia suffer major blow ahead of second Border-Gavaskar Test against India