Former Australian captain Ricky Ponting has shared a piece of advice to struggling Aussie batters Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne. Smith and Labuschagne, the two batting mainstays of the Australian team, are not having a good year in the whites. They were dismissed cheaply in the first Test match against India in Perth.
Smith bagged a duck and scored 17 in the two innings in Perth, while Labuschagne made 2 and 3 in his two outings at the Optus Stadium. Ponting has shared advice for the batters, stating that they should trust their game like Virat Kohli.
"Marnus looked the most tentative out of all the batters in Perth. Yes, it was high-quality bowling on a difficult wicket, but he needs to find a way to turn it around," Ponting told ICC Review.
"Virat went back to trusting his game and he looked like a different player in the second innings than he did in the first innings. He (Kohli) got away from trying to combat the opposition and focused on his strengths. That's what Marnus and (Steve) Smith need to do - find their own way and show great intent," said Ponting.
Kohli was dismissed for five in the first innings but returned to score a century in the second essay. Labuschagne played a very tedious knock of 2 from 52 balls in the first innings. Ponting believes the batters need to find a way to take more risks and put pressure on the Indian bowling line-up.
"You have to find a way to take risks and put it back on those guys because you know the Bumrahs of the world… they're not going to give you too many easy scoring opportunities. When they do, you've got to be ready to pounce on it and put it away and try and put some pressure back on them," he explained.
Ponting also showed confidence in picking the same team despite the heavy 295-run drubbing in the first match. "I'd be sticking with the same side. I think you have to show faith in champion players and a lot of the guys that we're talking about in this team have been champion players.
"Maybe not for a little while, but they have proven their ability on the big stage," he added.
