Ricky Ponting is one of the most highly-respected voices when it comes to expertise in cricket, and the former Australian captain delivered his verdict regarding who he thinks will take home the honours in the third match of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy at the Gabba in Brisbane.
Speaking on the ICC Review show, the former Aussie skipper backed Pat Cummins’ team to make the best of familiar conditions and momentum in their favour to swing a positive result to back up their 10-wicket victory at the Adelaide Oval.
“It’s really hard to say what to expect after the way the first two games have gone,” said Ponting on the Review. “I mean, they’ve just been complete blowouts either way. So you don’t really know what to expect. I’ve got a feeling it’ll be a bit more even contest than the first couple of games. I still think Australia will win.”
India started off strongly in the series with a 295-run victory in Perth, but Australia came roaring back with the pink ball to level the series at 1-1 thanks to a brutal bowling performance by their lead seamers in Adelaide.
Can India cause another Gabba upset
Ponting dug further into what he thinks will be the key elements at the Gabba when play begins: “Generally the team that wins the toss in Brisbane will bat first and try and bat well in the first couple of days and then wait for the wicket to start offering a bit more to the bowlers later in the game. That’s generally the way that teams play there.”
Nevertheless, Ponting backed Australia to make good at the ground that was once considered their fortress before India breached it in that famous victory in 2021. Australia hadn’t lost in Brisbane for over 30 years at that point, but have gone on to lose there since again, losing against the West Indies earlier this year against the pink ball in a match dominated by Shamar Joseph.
While India will take a lot of confidence from these pair of matches, Ponting still believes the hosts have enough in the tank to take a 2-1 series lead in Brisbane. “I’ll back recent form up there. India have got a good record. [But] going through history, I think Australia only lost twice there in about 40 years. So, I’ll back Australia to win at the Gabba.”
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News / Cricket News / Ricky Ponting unfazed by India’s Gabba heroics, backs Australia to win 3rd Test: ‘I’ll back recent form up there…’
