AUS vs IND Test 2020: Ricky Ponting Backs Australia To Complete Clean Sweep Against India, Believes Visitors Have No One to Pick Them up

Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting believes the humiliation in Adelaide has opened up ‘serious wounds’ for India and Australia now have a ‘good chance’ of inflicting a series whitewash on the visitors in the four-match Test series. India stumbled to an eight-wicket loss in the first Test of the Border-Gavaskar trophy in Adelaide. On the third day of the pink-ball Test, India were bundled out for 36 in the second innings, and Australia was given a mediocre target of 90 runs to go 1-0 ahead. Australia chased down the total comfortably inside 21 overs with eight wickets in hand.

Ponting believes hat the hosts now have a very good chance of defeating India 4-0 in the four-match series.
“Now there’s some serious wounds opened up. There could be a good chance of a clean sweep,” Ponting told cricket.com.au.

“Let’s hope we do get a result in Melbourne and if we do, I think India’s going to find it really hard to bounce back and win a game.”

India will miss skipper Virat Kohli in the remaining three Tests as he returns home for the birth of his child and Ponting said it will be a real test for the visitors as they look to pick up the pieces under the captaincy of Ajinkya Rahane.

“We’ll learn a lot about them, won’t we? With Kohli not being there as well there’s almost no one to pick them back up after a loss like that,” Ponting added.

India will need to find their best playing XI for the Boxing Day Test, especially after the below-par performances of young opener Prithvi Shaw, who made 0 and 4, and wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha.

The 46-year-old Ponting is in favour of giving a chance to dashing wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant and young batter Shubman Gill in Melbourne. “They’ve got to make a couple of changes. Rishabh Pant has to be in that middle order. With Kohli not being there they’ve got to strengthen their batting, he’s got to come in,” he said.

“They’ll look at Prithvi Shaw at the top of the order I’m sure but there’s one thing to make selection changes there’s another to lift the spirits back up again and make sure they’re mentally right for the next challenge because the Australians are not going to go away now.”

“Now that they’ve got a bit of a sniff they’re going to go even harder next game.”

With Joe Burns returning to form with a 63-ball 51 and the experienced David Warner and young Will Pucovski — who missed the first Test due to groin injury and concussion respectively — in contention for the Melbourne Test, Australia will have a happy selection headache.

Ponting believes Pucovski will have to wait for his debut if Warner is fit for the MCG Test. “If David’s fit he comes straight back in … they’ve got a decision to make then on Cameron Green and Matthew Wade. That’s the only obvious thing there,” Ponting said.

“If both and Pucovski and Warner are fit I think Will will have to wait again. On the back of Burns getting fifty they’ve got to keep going with him, that’s the right call and that’s fair enough.

“There’s a couple of little things there for the Aussies to think about but India will have a lot more headaches than them.”