As the action shifts to the second fixture of the ongoing Border Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25, hosts Australia will be keen to make a strong return, having been 0-1 down after their 295-run defeat in the opening Test at the Optus Stadium in Perth. Ricky Ponting, the former captain of the side across formats, has advised both struggling Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne to trust their game.
Smith could manage a golden duck in the first innings, followed by a fighting knock of 17 runs in the second innings. Labuschagne, on the other hand, faced 52 balls for his two runs, followed by a three-run knock at Perth, as Ricky Ponting suggested they take a page of Virat Kohli’s book.
“Marnus looked the most tentative out of all the batters in Perth. Yes, it was high-quality bowling on a difficult wicket, but he needs to find a way to turn it around.” The veteran expressed this during the recent episode of the ICC review.
Virat had been struggling in the longest format for the last two years with just a couple of centuries, with the last of them coming nearly 15 months ago. But the former Indian captain looked calm in the process and thumped an unbeaten 100-run knock to break the shackles in the Western Test.
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“Virat went back to trusting his game, and he looked like a different player in the second innings than he did in the first innings. He got away from trying to combat the opposition and focused on his strengths. That’s what Marnus and Smith need to do – find their way and show great intent.” Ricky Ponting claimed in the discussion.
Ricky Ponting urges Australia not to make extensive changes in playing eleven
In the first innings of the game, the Delhi-born could not handle the short ball from Josh Hazlewood for five but showed great patience and grittiness to celebrate his 30th Test century, which helped the visiting side set a massive target of 534 runs in the fourth innings.
The platform of India’s second innings in the batting was set up by the 201-run opening stand between KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal, as the latter cracked a 161-run knock. None of the Australian batters could stand tall before the pace attack of India, led by their standing captain, Jasprit Bumrah, who picked up eight wickets in the game.
“You have to find a way to take risks and put it back on those guys because you know Bumrah of the world, they’re not going to give you too many easy scoring opportunities. When they do, you’ve got to be ready to pounce on it and put it away and try and put some pressure back on them.” Ricky Ponting highlighted.
Australia has enjoyed a great record in the day-night contest, with their only defeat coming against the West Indies at the Gabba in Brisbane towards the start of the year. The former Tasmania-batter has cautioned the home side from making wholesale changes in the eleven.
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“I‘d be sticking with the same side. I think you have to show faith in champion players, and a lot of the guys that we’re talking about in this team have been champion players. Maybe not for a little while, but they have proven their ability on the big stage.” Ricky Ponting suggested.
Josh Hazlewood has been ruled out of the pink-ball Test due to a side strain, which opens up the chances of Scott Boland making a return to the side. He could end up being a huge contributor with the ball in the day-night affair.