Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting has cautioned the Aussies about two India players ahead of the World Test Championship (WTC) final starting from June 7 at the Kennington Oval in London. He reckons India's number three batter Cheteshwar Pujara and number four batter Virat Kohli could turn out to be biggest threat for Australia in the summit clash. Pujara has a brilliant record against Australia and has played a crucial role in wining multiple Test series down under for the team.
He also played for Sussex in the County Championship when all the Indian players were busy featuring in the Indian Premier League (IPL). On the other hand, Virat Kohli has returned to his best and scored a century last time India faced Australia in Ahmedabad earlier this year. He is also coming off back to back tons in the IPL while playing for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB).
"The Australian team will be talking about Virat, no doubt about it, and they'll be talking about Pujara. They're the two. Pujara has been a thorn in their side a lot in the past, and in Australia, and this wicket will potentially be a lot more like an Australian pitch. They know that they'll have to get him early," Ponting said on the ICC Review.
Meanwhile, Ricky Ponting is also impressed with Shubman Gill who won the Orange Cap in the IPL scoring 890 runs for Gujarat Titans. "He looks like a terrific young guy.
He's got that bit of attitude about him as well. He's got a bit of swagger. He has some serious class. That sort of front-foot pull shot that he plays against the fast bowlers will be a shot that he'll probably need against this Australian attack," Ponting added.
