Ricky Ponting praises Virat Kohli for revolutionizing Test Cricket in India

Virat Kohli (Pic: File Pic)

Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting hailed Virat Kohli for revolutionizing Test cricket in India. He highlighted the impact of Kohli after taking over the captaincy and also how remarkably the team's performances changed.

Kohli's captaincy, which began at the end of 2014 and continued until early 2022, saw India flourish.

Under Virat Kohli's captaincy, he made his teammates believe in their abilities to win overseas. Under his leadership, Team India became the first Asian side to register a Test series win on Australian soil.

"Their fast-bowling depth is great. The leadership in the last 6-7 years has been strong. Going back to Kohli's start of captaincy, played a big role in turning the cricket around and Dravid has continued the same in the recent four years. The influence of someone like that [Kohli] around a team would be great and they've got star players," Ponting said while speaking to Sky Sports.

During Virat Kohli's stint as a captain, Team India played 60 Test matches out of which, the side managed to win 40 and lost 17 games. The 11 matches ended in a draw. With this, to date, he is known as one of India's most successful Test captains.

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Ahed of the Border-Gavaskr Trophy 2024-25, Virat Kohli will travel to Australia as a player and will play under Rohit Sharma's captaincy. In the previous series in 2020-21, Kohli left after the first Test to be with his wife for the birth of their daughter, Vamika.

Despite his absence, India, under Ajinkya Rahane's leadership, overcame injuries and the lack of key players to secure another historic 2-1 series win.

Ponting reminisced about India's memorable victory at the Gabba, marking the first time in 32 years that a visiting team had breached this Australian stronghold in Tests. He noted the change in mindset and the fearless approach of the Indian team.

"They won a game at the Gabba, which just doesn't happen. I think their batters adapt to overseas batting conditions very well. I don't think they're as daunted by the Gabba or the Optus Oval, as they maybe once were. Maybe it is a selection thing, or they just don't fear the big stage anymore," he added.

Additionally, Ponting emphasized the significant role the Indian Premier League (IPL) played in preparing Indian players for the international stage.

"For the last 10 years being around the IPL, I've noticed that a lot of the young guys [don't fear the big stage anymore] as the IPL is high-pressure, it is like a World Cup for them. Their batsmen are all very aggressive stroke-making players. They are not scared of failing," he noted.

(With ANI Inputs)