Ponting predicts 3-1 victory for Australia over India in Border-Gavaskar trophy
Ponting believes the Australian team will be highly motivated to reclaim their dominance, following two consecutive series losses on home soil to India in 2018-19 and 2020-21. Since their last Test series triumph against India in 2014-15, Australia has been seeking to regain their winning edge.
In an appearance on the ICC Review, Ponting emphasized the competitive nature of the series, stating, “It’s going to be a competitive series and, as I said, I think Australia’s got a bit of a point to prove against India in Australia on the back of what’s happened the last two series here.” He noted the significance of returning to a five-Test format after the previous series were played over four Tests. “Five tests, I think everyone’s really excited by that and I don’t know if there’d be too many drawn games,” he added. Ponting’s confidence in Australia’s chances is evident, as he affirmed, “I’m obviously going to tip Australia to win and I’m never going to tip against Australia. There will be a draw somewhere and there will be some bad weather somewhere, so I’m going to say 3-1 to Australia.”
Ponting also addressed the question of whether Steven Smith should remain as an opener for the Australian side. With David Warner’s retirement leaving an opening at the top of the order, there is some debate over whether Smith is the best fit for the role.
“Probably the only one question there might be with Australia again, is if Smith’s the right man to be opening the batting. That would be the only query that I can see there,” Ponting remarked. The decision to move Smith to the top of the order was initially made to accommodate Cameron Green, who had a successful tour of New Zealand. Ponting clarified, “So I’ll rephrase it, not whether Smith’s the right man to open the batting but whether he thinks it’s the right spot for him. Because I think if he doesn’t think it’s the right spot then they’ll make a change and get someone else back up there.”
Smith’s performance as an opener has been mixed. In his last Test series against New Zealand in March, he struggled, managing only 51 runs in four innings. His promotion to the opening position, aimed at integrating Cameron Green into the squad, did yield positive results, as Green emerged as the top scorer of the series with 238 runs. Despite this, Smith’s statistics as an opener are not strong: apart from a notable innings of 91 against the West Indies, he has only passed 30 once, averaging 28.50 in his eight innings in the role.
As Australia prepares for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, the debate over Smith’s position remains a key topic of discussion, with the team looking to find the optimal balance for success.
