Gambhir slams Ponting for criticizing Kohli, Rohit's form

India’s head coach, Gautam Gambhir, has fired back at former Australian captain Ricky Ponting for questioning the form of star batsmen Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma.

Ponting had expressed concerns over Kohli’s recent performance, citing the batsman’s limited Test hundreds in the past five years.

In the recently concluded three-match Test series against New Zealand at home, in which India lost 0-3, Kohli managed only 93 runs in six innings, while Rohit scored 91 runs, prompting Ponting to question their form. “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 accurate, then that’s, I mean, that’s a concern,” Ponting said in his latest episode of the ICC Review.

Gambhir swiftly came to the defense of his players, saying, “What does Ricky Ponting have to do with Indian cricket? He should be talking about Australia.”

The head coach emphasized Kohli and Rohit’s passion and hunger for success, highlighting their exceptional contributions to Indian cricket. “They are incredibly tough men and have achieved a lot…they will continue to do so.”

Also read: Indian fans demand Rohit, Gambhir’s sacking after whitewash

Gambhir’s comments came ahead of India’s departure to Australia, where they will look to bounce back from their 0-3 Test series loss to New Zealand.

The head coach also said that India’s singular focus over the next two months is on winning the five-match series in Australia and the players will not be distracted by the race to reach the World Test Championship (WTC) final.

India were in pole position to make next year’s WTC final until a 3-0 whitewash by New Zealand earlier this month allowed Australia to leapfrog them.

Captain Rohit Sharma must now guide his side to a 4-0 win in Australia to guarantee a spot in the final, though their path could become easier depending on the results of other series.