Ricky Ponting, a legend of Australian cricket, remarked that Virat Kohli believes he is “back to his absolute best” and that Australian players will prize his wicket the most in the upcoming ICC World Test Championship 2023 Final.
On Friday, May 19, Ponting gave a speech during the event’s ceremonial curtain-raiser in New Delhi. In an occasion hosted by the ICC, Australia’s most decorated male captain introduced the Test Mace, the prized trophy India and Australia are competing for. He then spoke with local academy students and the
The 48-year-old looked visibly excited about the prospect of watching high-quality Test cricket at The Oval from June 7, in particular the match-ups between some of the best in the business.
Among them is India’s No. 4 player, Kohli. The 34-year-old has been unstoppable since he recovered his form, and Ponting thinks it means problems for Australia. On Thursday, he scored his sixth IPL century against Sunrisers Hyderabad.
“I caught up with Virat about a month ago when we played them in Bangalore. And I had a good chat to him about his batting and where he was at and his career. And he said to me then that he actually feels like he’s almost back to his absolute best.
You probably saw that last night, you know, he’s had a very good IPL and I’m sure he’ll be the prize wicket that all the Australians are looking are looking forward to,” Ponting said to ICC.
For The Ultimate Test, a few important players for India will be absent. Long-term absentees include Rishabh Pant, KL Rahul, who had an injury during the IPL, and Jasprit Bumrah, who is still recovering from a back issue.
For Someone Like Virat Kohli – Is He Better Off Playing Now: Ricky Ponting
There’s been talk about how a significant portion of India’s WTC squad has been playing the IPL in the lead-up to the Test, as opposed to just four from Australia, and how that would affect their preparations for the Test. But Ponting believes there are advantages to both approaches.
“There are two ways you can look at it,” he said. “For someone like Virat (Kohli) – is he better off playing now and scoring runs at a consistent basis, and have confidence going into a game? Rather than being the Australian guys that have been back home, haven’t been playing much cricket, will be mentally better prepared, but haven’t got the runs and cricket under their belt.
Is Mohammad Shami going to be in a better (position) skill-wise than what Pat Cummins is? Cummins hasn’t played any cricket for a few months now. It’s a hard one. A lot of it comes down to the individual.
The Indian players that are here playing in the IPL won’t only be thinking about the IPL. They’ll be on workload management stuff to make sure that they’re right to bowl in a Test match in a couple of weeks’ time,” he said.
The ICC World Test Championship 2023 Final will be played at The Oval, starting June 7.