Things look to be heating up ahead of what will be a big summer of cricket, with Australia and India clashing in a big clash in Perth next week.
It appears both sides are already sharing criticism ahead of the first Test of the summer, with former Australia captain Ricky Ponting coming under fire from India coach Gautam Gambhir.
Selection dilemmas have dominated the headlines for both sides in the run-up to the first Test.
Pat Cummins’ side have seemingly settled for their top spot, with Nathan McSweeney in line to make his Test debut alongside Usman Khawaja as Australia’s openers.
Meanwhile, doubts have started to arise over whether India should pick Rohit Sharma or Virat Kohli.
Indian cricket coach Gautam Gambhir has lashed out at Ricky Ponting for his analysis of Rohit Sharma and Rohit Sharma.
Ponting had criticized Kohli’s recent lackadaisical form with the bat, stating that he had scored only two Test centuries in the last five years.
Sharma has not traveled with the rest of the team and will likely not be available for the first Test in Perth, having opted to stay home during the birth of his son.
But after India’s dismal 3-0 series defeat against New Zealand, doubts have started to arise over the 37-year-old’s form.
The Indian captain scored just a half-century during his entire series against the Kiwis, making 91 runs during the three Tests.
Kohli also had a tough time by his standards against the Black Caps. Despite hitting a 70 in the second innings of the first Test, Kohli has scored just two Test centuries since 2019.
Ponting was quick to shake India off the recent indifferent form of its two star players ahead of next week’s Test.
“There probably wouldn’t be anyone else playing international cricket like a top-order batsman who only scored two Test hundreds in five years,” he said in an ICC review podcast.
But his comments did not go down well with India coach Gambhir, who lashed out at the former Australia captain.
‘What does Ponting have to do with Indian cricket? “I think I should think about Australian cricket,” he said during a press conference before his team left India.
Sharma (right) has also endured a tough time, struggling to find runs in India’s 3-0 series loss against New Zealand.
Gambhir claimed that he had “no worries about Virat (R) and Rohit” in response to Ponting’s claims.
“More importantly, I don’t have any worries about Virat and Rohit,” he added.
“They are incredibly tough men. They have achieved a lot for Indian cricket and will continue to achieve a lot in the future too.
‘For me, the most important thing is that they still work very hard, they still are passionate, they still want to achieve much more.
“The hunger in that locker room is incredibly important to me.
“I feel like there’s a lot of hunger, especially after what happened in the last series.”
Ponting later responded to the backlash, stating that he was not surprised that Gambhir had intervened to defend his players.
“I was surprised to read the reaction, but knowing the coach, Gautam Gambhir… he’s quite a prickly character, so I’m not surprised that he was the one to say something,” he told 7News.
The 49-year-old also sought to clarify his earlier comments while speaking to Mel McLaughlin on the broadcaster, adding that he had no intention of attacking Kohli.
The former Australia captain later clarified his claims and stated that he “would be worried about Kohli’s form”.
Kohli scored 93 runs against New Zealand as India suffered a disappointing defeat.
Meanwhile, Sharma has not traveled with the team to Australia and is expected to miss the first Test as he stayed home during the birth of his son.
‘I said I would be worried (about Kohli’s form).
‘But I think if you ask Virat, I’m sure Virat would be a little worried that he hasn’t been able to win the same number of hundreds as in previous years.
‘“In no way was it a dig at him. In fact, I kept saying that he played well in Australia and will be eager to recover here.
“So it’s surprising how small things can be, but he’s a class player and he’s played well in Australia in the past.”