'Knew Australia were in for a nightmare when I saw...': Ponting on India star | Cricket - Hindustan Times
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'When I saw that last week I knew AUS were in for a nightmare': How Ponting's prediction on IND star came true in Nagpur

Feb 12, 2023 05:58 PM IST

While the present Australian side failed to look at, resulting in their humiliating defeat by an innings and 123 runs in Nagpur against India, Ponting knew a week before which Indian star would become the “nightmare” for India.

Years of experience at the highest level and success in international cricket, both as a player and captain, has made Ricky Ponting an expert in making accurate predictions. While the present Australian side failed to look at, resulting in their humiliating defeat by an innings and 123 runs in Nagpur against India, Ponting knew a week before which Indian star would become the “nightmare” for India. The Australia legend indeed was 100 per cent right as the Indian played a pivotal role in opening Test match of the Border-Gavaskar series.

Ricky Ponting (left); Team India
Ricky Ponting (left); Team India

What left the present Australian side concerned heading into the Nagpur opener was the pitch and Ravichandran Ashwin. While their media accused India of “doctoring” the conditions at the VCA stadium, the players roped in “duplicate” Ashwin to gear up for the match.

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However, on Day 1, it was the other spinner that played wrecker-in-chief as Australia were bundled for just 177 runs after opting to bat first. Ravindra Jadeja was the pick of the bowler for India. Having returned to cricket after over five months of injury lay off, Jadeja picked his 11th five-wicket haul.

Speaking on the ICC Review, Ponting opined that he knew that Jadeja would become Australia's “nightmare” when he had made his first-class return in the last week of January. Jadeja had picked eight wickets, seven of which came in the second innings in Saurashtra's Ranji Trophy match against Tamil Nadu.

“I had seen his return to first-class cricket last week and he got some 11 wickets or something. As soon as I saw that I knew Aussies were in for a nightmare,” he said.

“Because of how he [Jadeja] bowls on those sort of wickets – the pace that he bowls, the line that he bowls to right-handers in particular, where he is pitching the ball on the stumps all the time, and one would turn and one will slide on, like we saw, with the dismissal of Steven Smith today. I mean they're two identical deliveries. One just happened to turn and the other one went straight on and went back through the gate and bowled him," added Ponting as he analysed Jadeja's performance on Day 1.

The former Australia captain then made a bold prediction for the series on the the all-rounder as well.

“As the series goes on, if his body holds up and he can get through the four Test matches, I think he could very well be the leading wicket-taker in this entire series," he said.

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