“Karakter yang berduri” – Ricky Ponting menanggapi serangan pedas Gambhir terhadap kritik Kohli

Ricky Ponting wasn’t taken by surprise by Gautam Gambhir’s attack on him. The Indian head coach had gone after the former Australia captain for his criticism of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli’s form. He’d bluntly said, “What does Ponting have to do with Indian cricket? I think he should think about Australian cricket”. But Ponting says he’s played against Gambhir and even coached him, so he isn’t surprised by the comments.

Ponting’s reply to Gambhir

Most would have expected a harsh rebuttal from Ponting. But the Aussie coach has mellowed down quite a bit since leaving the sport and isn’t ready to pick a fight like he was back in the day. During a chat with 7News, Ponting was asked, “Before the first Test in Perth, will you go and shake hands with the Indian coach (Gambhir)? ‘If he comes my way, yes’,” said Ponting while chuckling.

Gambhir and Ponting have played against and with each other. So, the Aussie knows a bit about the Indian head coach. “We’ve played a bit against each other. I actually coached him at the Delhi Daredevils. He’s quite a prickly character,” the newly appointed Punjab Kings head coach said.

Not taking a dig at Kohli: Ponting

“In no way was it a dig at him (Kohli). I actually followed it up by saying he’s played well in Australia and he’ll be keen to bounce back over here. If you ask Virat, I’m sure he would be a little bit concerned that he hasn’t been able to make the same amount of hundreds as he has in previous years. So it’s amazing how little things can get cut up, but he’s a class player, and he’s played well in Australia in the past,” Ponting added.