Former Australia skipper Ricky Ponting has warned Pat Cummins-led team to not get fooled by India wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant’s theatrics behind the stumps. The statement comes amid the buildup of India’s upcoming tour of Australia for five-Test Border-Gavaskar series.
“We’ve all seen him play and heard him in the stump mic, he’s an infectious character to have around the group. He loves his cricket, he’s a winner, that’s what he is. He doesn’t just play to make a few runs and be out there for the fun of it,” Ponting said while talking on Sky Sports.
The former Aussie skipper backed his statement with numbers and said that Pant already has as many hundreds as MS Dhoni scored in his entire Test career.
“He must have 4 or 5 Test hundreds already and he’s got about nine 90s as well. [MS] Dhoni played for 120 Tests (90) and made 3 or 4 hundreds (6), this is how good this guy (Pant) is. He’s a serious cricketer,” added Ponting.
Pant was one of India’s debonair batters on the last tour of Australia, when a depleted side beat Australia 2-1 in a four-Test series. Pant’s 97 in Sydney Test helped India draw the match, while his 89 not out in Brisbane helped the team create history and win the match.
India have three Test series planned from September 19 – two at home and one away. They first play Bangladesh in a two-Test series from September 19 before hosting New Zealand for a three-Test series and then travel to Australia.
Aussie Test opener Usman Khawaja also believes that it is a ‘sign of respect’ that Indians want to beat Australia in any form of cricket.