NEW DELHI: Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting has delivered a sharp assessment of India’s Test defeat to South Africa in Kolkata, warning that India’s strategy of preparing extreme turners is now backfiring on their own batters. With Rishabh Pant expected to lead India in the second Test in Guwahati due to Shubman Gill’s neck injury, Ponting also threw his full support behind the wicketkeeper-batter, saying his IPL captaincy experience will prepare him well for the challenge.Ponting, who coached Pant during their time together at Delhi Capitals, said the 26-year-old has the temperament and tactical awareness to handle a sudden leadership responsibility.“It’s never easy to come and fill in for a stop-gap captain, especially when you’ve lost a Test match a few days before,” Ponting said on the ICC Review. “Rishabh is reasonably an experienced Test-match player now and being a wicketkeeper probably helps him see how the game is evolving. He’s done it in the IPL for the last few years… I think he will be fine. It will be interesting to see how he plays as captain and how he manages his style of play as a batter.”
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But the bulk of Ponting’s criticism was aimed at the pitch India chose for the first Test, which saw the hosts crash to a shocking 30-run defeat while chasing only 124. The batting collapse has triggered scrutiny over India’s recent struggles against spin.“They prepare these wickets so much in favour of spinners that it negates the quality of their spin,” Ponting said. “It makes opposition spinners better when they get wickets that turn like that. And in the last five or six years, India don’t play spin as well as they once did. They’re evening it up for everybody else.”Ponting agreed with Gautam Gambhir that India should have chased 124.“Chasing 120 in the last innings, they should’ve been able to get that done,” he said. “But on pitches like that, one wicket becomes two… pressure builds quickly with fielders around the bat.”The former Australian skipper also weighed in on Washington Sundar’s surprise promotion to No. 3, praising his resilience but noting the move was likely tactical and temporary.“He has done nothing wrong with the bat… but I wouldn’t like him to bat at three outside India,” Ponting said, suggesting Sundar might have been filling a gap as India’s fourth spinner in the XI.With the series now 1-0 in South Africa’s favour, Ponting’s message is clear: India’s biggest battle may not be the opposition — but their own conditions and batting frailties.
