"Should think about Australian cricket": Gautam Gambhir slams Ricky Ponting

Gautam Gambhir (Pic: File Pic)

Team India head coach Gautam Gambhir defended senior batsmen Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma following the criticism from former Australian skipper Ricky Ponting. Further Gambhir said that Ponting should better think about his national team.

Ponting recently passed a comment on Virat Kohli's form by saying that any other player with just two centuries in five years would have not survived in the team.

Addressing the media before departing for Australia for the five-match Test series, Gautam Gambhir responded to questions regarding the form of Kohli and Rohit. Terming Ponting's opinions on Indian cricket 'irrelevant', the former batter affirmed that both the big guns have a lot of passion and hunger for the team.

"Not at all...Ricky 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," Gautam Gambhir said in the press conference on Monday.

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"They still work really hard. They're 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's a lot of hunger, especially after what has happened in the last series," he further added.

So far in 2024, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma are struggling to find their best form. Recently, the side suffered a 0-3 Test series loss against New Zealand.

In 2024, featuring in 11 Test matches, Rohit has accumulated 588 runs with an average of 29.40 including two centuries and two half-centuries. On the other hand, Virat registered 250 runs in six matches with an average of 22.72 and just one half-century.

Their form is a significant concern as India prepares to face Australia, needing to win the series 4-1 to secure their spot in the World Test Championship Final (WTC). The performance of Kohli and Rohit will be crucial for India's chances to progress to their third consecutive WTC final.

After suffering a series loss against New Zealand, Team India's chances of making it to the final of the World Test Championship have become a bit tough.

(With ANI Inputs)