Ponting supports the selection of Kohli for the Indian T20 World Cup team

Posted by Xchange Tickets on July 28th, 2022

Ricky Ponting, a former captain of Australia, used the most recent episode of The ICC Review to analyze Virat Kohli's recent performance, forecast what the star batter would face in the future, and express his opinion on how India's batting lineup should look at the next ICC T20 World Cup.

Ponting thinks Kohli, 33, is worth sticking with at the international level even though he battled for runs during this year's IPL and hasn't scored a century for his nation in any format in nearly three years.

In an interview with Sanjana Ganesan for The ICC Review, Ponting stated that India would benefit more from keeping Kohli than they would if they decided to leave the right-hander out of their team for the ICC T20 World Cup in Australia later this year.

Kohli and the fear factor

Ponting, who led Australia to two World Cup victories in 2003 and 2007, claimed that Kohli still had the potential to make a significant contribution.

"I think if I was an opposition captain or an opposition player, I will fear playing an Indian team that has Virat Kohli in it, more than I would not have him in it," Ponting noted.

"I know there have been some challenges for him, it’s been a difficult time.

"But every great player that I have seen in this game has been through it at some stage, whether that’s a batsman or a bowler, they have all been through it.

"And somehow, the best (players) find a way to rebound and respond, and it’s only a matter of time before Virat does that."

Now or never for the Indian great

If India does decide to leave Kohli out of the T20 World Cup in Australia, according to Ponting, there may be no turning back.

"If you leave Virat out of the eve of the World Cup, and someone comes in and has a reasonable tournament, it will be hard for Virat to get back in it," Ponting said.

"If I was India, I will keep pushing with him, because I know the upside. If they get him back confident and playing as well as he can, that upside is better than most. So I think if I was a captain or a coach around the Indian setup, I will be making life as easy as possible for him to feel as comfortable as possible, and just wait for him to flick the switch and start scoring runs again."

The runs will eventually come for Kohli

With the hope that Kohli reaches his peak during the knockout rounds of the T20 World Cup, Ponting advised selectors to find a space for the champion batter in India's top order and commit to keeping him there the entire tournament.

"Early in the tournament, for a first-round game, (it’s important too) get him in nice and early, among the runs, and then hopefully by the end of the tournament you’ll have Virat Kohli back at his best," Ponting said.

"That’s the way I would look at it. I wouldn’t think about holding him back at the start of the tournament, with the thought that you might be able to bring him back towards the back end and have him peak. Tournament play isn’t like that.

"You need to work your way into the tournament, get some runs under your belt, get some confidence, and then be playing your best cricket at the back end."

Give Virat the confidence to do what he does best

Ponting thinks that Kohli's best national performances have occurred when he has been at ease both on and off the field. The former captain of Australia believes that India's coaching staff has to work to restore Kohli's confidence as quickly as feasible.

"You still got to find the best balance for the team. You can’t just make the team all about one person," Ponting noted.

"They probably should be trying to find new ways to get him back into the form and help him out. That (moving him up the order) quite often comes at the expense of someone else as well, you are moving someone else around trying to find a spot for Virat. He has opened the batting; he’s batted at No.3 in the IPL in the last couple of years and done the same for India.

"Moving him around will make him feel that people are worried about him, and he will be more unsettled.

"I will be going the other way. I’ll be telling him, ‘This is your spot, this is where you’re batting, it’s not going to change. Keep believing in yourself, keep putting in the hard work, keep believing in what made you the best player in the world for several years – get back to those thoughts and the runs will come."

What to do with the rest of India's star-studded batting line-up?

The favorites to start the batting for India at the T20 World Cup are Captain Rohit Sharma and the gifted right-hander KL Rahul, but there aren't many other openings left should Kohli be selected to accompany them in the top-order.

Ponting has worked closely with Rishabh Pant at Delhi Capitals and is well aware of his strengths, while the former Australia captain thinks veteran all-rounder Dinesh Karthik must also fill a spot in India's middle-order.

"We have seen what Rishabh is capable of in 50-over cricket and I know absolutely what he is capable of in the T20 game," Ponting said.

"Dinesh Karthik has had his best IPL ever just very recently ... and I would be trying to find every way to have both of those guys in my team.

"Rishabh to bat, in that three-four-five range, and have Dinesh and maybe Hardik Pandya ... if you have those guys finishing for you, well that batting line-up looks very, very dangerous.

"That means someone like (Ishan) Kishan or Surya (Suryakumar Yadav) or (Shreyas) Iyer, someone like that, might miss out and I don't think Surya will miss out given his current form.

"But when you got so much talent picking an Indian team is always going to be difficult and Pant and Karthik would be the two I would pick ahead of Kishan right now."

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