Ponting should be concerned about Australian cricket, not India's: Gambhir

Mumbai: Head coach Gautam Gambhir on Monday fired a shot back at Ricky Ponting for questioning Virat Kohli's form and place in the Indian team, saying the Australian legend should only be concerned about cricket in his country.

Ponting had recently said Kohli's form is a concern, given the Indian batter has scored only two Test centuries in the last five years but also felt that the Indian legend has it in him to roar back to form and there is no better place than Australia to do so.

"What does Ponting have to do with Indian cricket? I think he should think about Australian cricket. More importantly, I have got no concerns whatsoever for Virat and Rohit," Gambhir said during an interaction with the media before leaving for Australia.

Kohli has just one fifty this year - 70 against Bangladesh in the Kanpur Test - while his last Test century came in July 2023 against the West Indies.

Someone who averaged above 50 in Test cricket from 2016 to 2019, Kohli has managed only 1838 runs from 34 Tests at an average of 31.68, with two centuries since then.

In 2024, the 36-year-old averaged only 22.72 in six matches, the lowest in his career.

Speaking in a recent episode of the ICC Review, Ponting said if it was not for Kohli, surviving in Test cricket was tough with such a dismal record.

"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 right, then that is, I mean, that's a concern," Ponting said.

"There wouldn't be anyone else probably even playing international cricket as a top-order batsman that's only scored two Test match hundreds in five years."

"I've said it before about Virat, you don't ever question the greats of the game. There's no doubt, he's a great player. He loves playing against Australia. In fact, I know he loves playing against Australia. And as I said, his record (in Australia) is very good. If there's a time for him to turn it around, it'd be this series.

"So I wouldn't be surprised to see Virat make runs in the first game."

When asked if the form of the two Indian senior batters Kohli and captain Rohit Sharma, who scored 93 and 91 runs respectively in the team's 0-3 loss to New Zealand, is a concern, Gambhir said, "Not at all."

"They are incredibly tough men, they have achieved a lot for Indian cricket and they will continue to achieve a lot in future as well.

"For me, the most important thing is that they still work really hard and they are still passionate, they still want to achieve a lot more and that is something which is very important," he added.

Gambhir said the hunger to do well is "incredibly important" for the Indian team especially after the loss to the Kiwis.

"The hunger in that dressing room is incredibly important for me and for the entire group of people as well and especially after what has happened in the last series," he said.

Indian batters were collectively exposed by New Zealand on a seaming track in Bengaluru in the first Test and spin-friendly pitches for the last two Tests at Pune and Mumbai.

Gambhir said he does not expect Australia to prepare a certain kind of wickets for the five- Test series starting November 22 in Perth and that India can win if they play to their potential on any surface.

"We don't control the wickets that they give. It is their wish, whatever they want to dish us with. We are absolutely ready to play in any kind of conditions and we have got all the bases (covered) out.

"What difference does it make whether they give us a turning track or bouncy tracks or green wickets?”

"We have got to still go out there and do the job and play to our potential and play our best cricket and we all know that if we play to our potential, if we play our best cricket we can defeat anyone on any given wicket," he said.

Inputs from PTI