Border Gavaskar Trophy: Gautam Gambhir Slams Ponting Over Kohli Comment

Gautam Gambhir hit back at Ricky Ponting regarding his comment on Virat Kohli ahead of the Border Gavaskar Trophy.

Hyderabad: After a series whitewash against New Zealand, India will be eyeing to bounce back with a win in the Border Gavaskar Trophy against Australia. The series will commence from November 22 and the form of the star duo Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma will be a cause of concern for the team.

Rohit has amassed just 588 runs from 11 matches with an average of 29.40 while Kohli has scored just 250 runs from six matches with an average of 22.72 in 2024. Ricky Ponting had recently expressed concern over Kohli’s form saying that he hasn’t seen any other player surviving in the team even after scoring just two hundreds in the five years.

India head coach Gautam Gambhir hit back at Ponting saying he should focus on cricket in Australia after being questioned about the former Australian cricketer’s comments.

"What does Ponting has to do with Indian cricket? I think he should think about Australian cricket and more importantly have got no concerns whatsoever for Virat and Rohit. I think they are incredibly tough men. They've achieved a lot for Indian cricket and they will continue to achieve a lot in future as well,” he said in the pre-departure press conference.

Bumrah to lead in case Rohit misses first Test

There were media reports that Rohit might miss the Perth Test. Gambhir was questioned on the same lines and he revealed that Burmrah will lead the team in case Rohit misses the opening fixture of the series.

“Jasprit Bumrah will lead India in the Perth Test if Rohit Sharma is not available,” he commented.