The Australian legend has shared his predictions for the upcoming Test series between Australia and India. Ricky Ponting has backed his home nation for a 3-1 series sweep against Indian side in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
The former Australia captain remains confident in his prediction due to India’s recent series loss to New Zealand and the injury setback of key pacer Mohammed Shami ahead of the upcoming tour. He sparked that Shami would be the biggest miss and it creates a significant gap in the bowling attack.
“I think taking 20 wickets in a Test match for India is going to be the biggest challenge. I think they’ll bat well enough out here with the current group of batters that they’ve got.”- he added.
The ICC Hall of Famer, backed Rishabh Pant and Steve Smith, to become the leading run scorer in this series. He praised the move of Steve Smith from the opening slot to No. 4, where he has a more chance of being crucial for the team.
Ponting stated, “And with Rishabh back in the side and probably coming into bat in the middle order when the ball’s probably lost a bit of its shine and a bit of its hardness and the form that he’s in, I’ll go for him as one of the leading run scorers as well.”
Apart from this, he has placed his trust in the experienced seamer Josh Hazlewood, predicting that he will top the wickets chart in the upcoming series, thanks to his skill, consistency, and ability to perform under pressure.
Nathan McSweeney Solidifies Case for Opening Role and Test Debut Against India
Inexperienced batter Nathan McSweeney is poised to secure the openers spot in Australia’s Test team after being moved to the top of the order for the upcoming Australia A vs. India A match at the MCG.
McSweeney scored 39 and 88* while batting at No. 4 against India A in Mackay last week, but he will shift to the top of the order for the Melbourne tour match to demonstrate that he is the right candidate for the vacant opener spot.
