Ricky Ponting points out 'real chink in the armour' for India: 'Players will tell you how hard and difficult he is'
Ricky Ponting said Mohammed Shami's absence promises to be a big loss for the visitors as India will miss his skills on Australian soil.
Legendary Australia captain Ricky Ponting has pointed out the real chink in the armour for India in the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy Down Under. The Indian team is eager to complete a hat-trick of Test series win on Australian soil, but Ponting suggests that they will miss the services of Mohammed Shami, who is still not fully fit and has been left out of the squad. Shami was confident of getting a place in India's BGT squad a few weeks back, but he failed to prove his fitness post his recovery from an ankle injury sustained last year.
Ponting asserted that Shami's absence will be a big loss for the visitors, as India will miss his skills on Australian soil.
"The big omission is Shami not being fit. I think that's a huge loss for India. He’s been one of the leading fast bowlers in the world for the last three or four years, and mainly with the red ball. His one-day record’s been very good, but what he's been able to do home and away with the red ball in Test cricket has been quite phenomenal," Ponting said in a video shared by the ICC on Instagram.
During the 2020-21 tour as well, Shami's participation was limited as he had to return to India after suffering a broken arm in the first Test at Adelaide. Shami has a decent bowling record on Australian soil, with 31 wickets in eight Tests.
'Shami perfectly suited to bowling in Perth and Adelaide'
Ponting summed up Shami's threat in the best way possible. "You talk to all the players that face him as well; they talk about how hard and difficult he is. And then, when you think about where the first two Tests are with Perth and Adelaide, he’d be perfectly suited to bowling in those conditions. So, I think that’s the only real chink in the armour," he added.
Under Virat Kohli's leadership, India became the first Asian team to beat Australia Down Under in 2018-19, and then Ajinkya Rahane inspired them to a second straight win in 2020-21 to script history. Australia got their revenge on India – beating them in the 2023 World Test Championship and the ODI World Cup finals, but Pat Cummins is aware that he has a fortress to defend.
