Sydney: ICC Hall of Famer Ricky Ponting heaped praise on New Zealand, who were missing star batter Kane Williamson.
“That's a huge result,” Ponting said in the ICC Review. “One that I wasn't expecting, to be honest, more so, when you look at it with Kane Williamson not being there. When you think about his (Williamson’s) record in the subcontinent, the sort of the rock and the leader that he's been for that team.”
New Zealand’s recent 3-0 clean sweep over India in the three-match Test series on Indian soil marked a monumental achievement in cricket history.
This was India’s first-ever three-match Test series whitewash at home.
As the Indian batters were eclipsed in run-scoring by their visiting counterparts, a notable talking point was the form of talismanic run-scorer Virat Kohli. The former Australia captain believes that, given Kohli’s recent batting slump, few in Test cricket would have had the same faith in terms of ongoing selection that Kohli has.
“I saw a stat the other day about Virat, it said he's only scored two three Test hundreds in the last five years. That didn't seem right to me, but if that is right, then that is, I mean, that's a concern,” Ponting said.
Having annually averaged above 50 in Test cricket from 2016 to 2019, Kohli has since undergone a lean patch in the longest format, scoring 1838 runs from 34 Tests at an average of 31.68, comprising two centuries.
In 2024, the 36-year-old touched his career’s lowest Test average mark – 22.72 in six matches so far – since 2011, the year he made his Test debut. In the latest ICC Men’s Test Batting Rankings, Kohli slipped out of the top-20 list for the first time in 10 years.
“There wouldn't be anyone else probably even playing international cricket as a top-order batsman that's only scored two Test match hundreds in five years,” Ponting said.
Since 2020, among the 14 batters who play in top five positions and have featured in as many (34) or more Tests, Kohli’s Test average is only higher than Bangladesh skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto. Among the same group of batters, Kohli also has the fewest centuries as well – two, alongside Tom Latham.
However, despite his recent form, Ponting still backs Kohli to deliver as the stakes increase now for India in terms of qualification for the ICC World Test Championship Final 2025.
“I've said it before about Virat, you don't ever question the greats of the game,” said Ponting. “There's no doubt, he's a great of the game."
“He loves playing against Australia. In fact, I know he loves playing against Australia. And as I said, his record in Australia is very good. If there's a time for him to turn it around, it'd be this series," Ponting said.
“So I wouldn't be surprised to see Virat make runs in the first game,” he said.
In his overall assessment of the New Zealand series, a glaring issue which stood out for the two-time World Cup winning captain was Indian batters’ collective struggle against quality spin.
“I think the one thing it does probably say is it’s really starting to highlight India's vulnerability against good quality spin bowling,” said Ponting.
“It seems as though the skill of the modern Indian batsmen of playing spin is probably not what it used to be,” he said.
One possible reason, according to Ponting, lies in the changing nature of Indian pitches and how they favour modern-day pacers more.
“Maybe because they're playing on different wickets in India that are probably for the fast bowlers a bit more, maybe because there's more high-quality fast bowlers in India now that they're not playing as much spin bowling as they did,” he said.
Ponting also discussed the influence of the Indian Premier League on modern Indian batting styles. While the IPL has undoubtedly strengthened Indian cricket, Ponting suggested that it also has shifted players’ priorities – particularly among the younger generation – to a more aggressive style favouring limited-overs cricket.
“Maybe it's the IPL or how much IPL cricket they're playing that the younger players are learning the game that way rather than the way that players did 15 or 20 years ago,” he commented.
