WTC Final 2023: Ricky Ponting Wants India To Play Ishan Kishan Over KS Bharat Against Australia
New Delhi: Former Australia skipper Ricky Ponting believes that India should include their X-factor player Ishan Kishan in the playing XI against Australia in the World Test Championship (WTC) final next month in London.
With Rishabh Pant injured, India initially named KS Bharat and KL Rahul in the WTC final squad. But after Rahul was ruled out, the BCCI selection commiittee named Kishan as replacement. In the absense of Rahul, Bharat is the frontrunner to don the gloves.
“If I was them (India), knowing the importance of this game – and you have to win this Test match – I’d be going with Ishan Kishan in this game,” Ponting, who is also the head coach of Delhi Capitals, told ICC Review Podcast.
“He provides that little bit of X-factor that you need when you might be pushing for a win in a Test match. Obviously, if Rishabh Pant is fit, he is playing, and he provides that X-factor for India,” added the two-time World Cup-winning Australian captain.
“But with him not being there, and this is no blot on Bharat whatsoever, but I think Kishan just provides that little bit more X-factor, who’d do a good job with the gloves but can provide that really high-scoring run rate that is required in a one-off Test match to push for a win.”
Both Kishan and Bharat were a part of the Indian team against Australia in the recently-concluded Border-Gavaskar Trophy. However, Bharat was preferred over Kishan – who is yet to play a Test match for India. Bharat is four Tests old.
“I’d be going with as many X-factor players as I could and put some real pressure back on Australia,” stated Ponting.
‘Good To See Rahane Back’
The 50-year-old also said he is happy to see Ajinkya Rahane back in the Indian Test team after a long time.
“Jinks (Rahane) has had an incredible IPL as well. It’s funny, isn’t it, how IPL runs can now get you picked back into a Test match squad. Jinks has been on the outer for the last couple of years in Test cricket, but everyone saw how confident he looked and how well he played in the IPL and that was enough to get him back in,” said Ponting.
Dropped from the Indian team in early 2022, Rahane had a good domestic season (2022-23) and finished as Mumbai’s top run-getter in the Ranji Trophy with 634 runs in seven games. He also played some blistering knocks in the IPL 2023 for Chennai Super Kings.
“He has been there and done it before in Test cricket. It was probably a bigger hurdle for him to climb to get back into playing really good T20 cricket than it is for him to go back and play good Test cricket. His make-up is much more suited to the Test game than it is to T20 cricket.
“He has rediscovered some confidence and if he does get picked, I won’t be surprised to see him get runs in that Test match. He has always been a really high-quality player and we saw him even with his leadership qualities here in Australia, in that last series to turn things around,” he added.