Ponting said, ‘I read a figure about Virat, which said that in the last five years, he has scored only two (three) Test centuries. This doesn’t seem right, but if it’s true, then it’s a matter of concern. There is no international cricketer at the top level who has scored only two Test centuries in five years.’
When asked about Ponting’s statement, Gambhir said, ‘What’s Ponting’s business with Indian cricket? He should think about Australian cricket. Rohit and Virat are incredibly strong players.’ In the press conference, Gambhir accepted that his team was badly defeated by the New Zealand team on home soil and they didn’t play their best cricket, but he hoped that it wouldn’t affect their performance in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia.
He said, ‘What difference does it make to my life or anyone else’s? When I took on this job, I thought it was a very difficult task and a very prestigious one. Honestly, I don’t think I’m feeling the pressure because my job is to be honest. Some incredibly tough people in that dressing room have achieved some great things for the country and will continue to do so. So, guiding them is a huge honor.’
After that, he focused the team’s attention on the upcoming challenge against current world Test champion Australia. He said, ‘The clear lesson is that we accept that we lost. I’m not going to sit here and make excuses. I think we lost in all three departments. They were more professional and we accept that. I think we take the criticism we’re getting and move forward, getting better every day.’
He further said, ‘Before these three Test matches, we also played an incredible Test match in Kanpur. I know we didn’t play our best cricket, but that doesn’t change anything. This is a new series against Australia. Australia is a new opponent and we go into the match thinking that we will try to win the series.’
It is worth noting that the Indian team will play the first match of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Perth from November 22. To stay in the race for the World Test Championship (WTC) final, India will have to win this series at any cost.
