Rohit Sharma stepped down from captaincy towards the end of the Test series in Australia recently, while Virat Kohli – after starting the tour strong with a century in Perth – fizzled out afterward as the two Indian stalwarts struggled Down Under in red-ball cricket. Both have since bounced to varying degrees during the Champions Trophy that India won, and Ricky Ponting – who once had a chat with Rahul Dravid asking him not to retire after one bad series – sees no reason why Rohit and Virat can’t continue delivering for India.
Ricky Ponting’s full Express Adda interview will be published later today
“I have been on record about Virat to say: ‘You can’t write off quality players’. They’re champions for a reason and always find a way to come good,” Ponting told The Indian Express during Idea Exchange. “At different times in the last couple of years, Virat has been able to do that when he is getting in a hole. He is a high-quality player and, maybe Rohit is a bit the same. Test cricket is the thing that is becoming harder for them right now. Rohit has made it clear he’s going nowhere in the 50-over game. Virat is the best white-ball player I have ever seen. I will never write those guys off.”
Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting. (Illustration: Suvajit Dey)
Ponting was also asked about the time he had a pep talk with Dravid after the latter had a forgettable Australia series. “We could all see he was battling, and there was a lot of media talk, and it was all wearing him down. Rahul and I have always got along really well. We were fierce competitors, both No.3 batters for our countries for a long time. For players like that, the class and quality doesn’t leave. It sometimes gets buried under a lot of other stuff, and certain people can’t find their way out of those holes. I just had a chat with him and said, ‘Look, forget about all the external stuff, believe in yourself, and go back to the things that have made you a good player. If you focus on that and not worry about the little things, I am sure you can finish off your career on a strong note.’ That’s all I said. He went away and did that and guess what? When I was at the end of my career, I got the same message back from him. He was the first on the phone and made me aware of the things I had to say to him.”
The Punjab Kings head coach joked that he might not do the same for Rohit and Virat during an IPL season. “Whether or not I am going to send them the same message that I sent Rahul Dravid, at the start of an IPL is a different question (smiles). But I love watching those guys play international cricket, and hopefully, they can play for years to come,” the 50-year-old added.