Indian head coach Gautam Gambhir had strongly rebuked former Australian cricketer Ricky Ponting following the latter's remarks on the form of senior Indian batters Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli during the recent Test series against New Zealand, which India lost 0-3. Ponting, in his comments, had described how both batters were struggling to find form.
Both Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, who have been integral to India’s success over the years, were backed by Gambhir, who highlighted their hunger for success. Reacting to the remarks by Gambhir, former Australian cricketer Mike Hussey said that the first Test between India and Australia will show who is correct. Hussey, however, emphasised on the importance of supporting experienced players by stating that the players like Rohit and Kohli can not be written off.
“We will find out in the first Test match where they are at, mentally and from a skill perspective as well. They will be hurt by this, India. They have got a lot of crowd pullers and quality. We just heard from Gambhir talking about Rohit and Kohli not making runs. The silliest thing you can do is to write off champion players. We have seen it so many times in the past - they come under criticism, but they come out and perform really well. So I'm backing them to perform well in Australia. They are proud Indians and proud Test players. But I still feel Australia will start favourites,” he said.
The Border-Gavaskar Trophy between India and Australia, involving five matches, will begin on November 22 with the first Test in Perth.