Ponting slams Pujara

Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting has criticized Indian batsman Cheteshwar Pujara for his slow batting and has claimed that Pujara’s innings might cost India a victory in Melbourne.

Pujara’s innings could cost India the game: Ponting

The former Australian captain was speaking with cricket.com.au. He said that if India goes on and wins the game, it will be a great inning but at the same time he noted that if India hasn’t got time to bowl Australia out twice then it could be what actually costs them the game.

Ponting thinks it is always hard for India to push the run rate along when Pujara is there. The former Aussie batsman stated that Pujara has just made another hundred, his second of the series, so he is playing well and doesn’t really look like getting out.

But Ponting also feels that the right-hand batsman just locks himself in this little bubble where scoring doesn’t seem to faze him at all.

Ricky Ponting on India's batting tactics, and how the Aussie quicks might continue attacking Virat Kohli#AUSvIND | @GilletteAU pic.twitter.com/GjvsrSa4ic

— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) December 27, 2018

Ponting baffled by India’s approach

According to Ponting, even since Pujara’s dismissal, it just seems like India haven’t got a lot of direction about what they’re trying to achieve. He feels that India want to bat long enough to only bat once, but just yet they haven’t got enough runs to do that.

He added that obviously they’ve talked long and hard about what they want to do, but he admitted that it is just a bit baffling to us.

Hard to win Tests with this run-rate: Ponting 

The Aussie cricketer noted that India have got other guys in their side who are stroke-makers but if those guys don’t come off, the scoring rate is always going to be hovering around that two runs an over mark, which makes it pretty hard to win Test matches, especially on flat wickets like we might have here.

Also read: Test cricket’s poster boy! Twitter reacts to Pujara’s ton at MCG

Ponting explained that when presented with opportunities in Test matches to push on and win he thinks you have to take them and they shouldn’t be looking forward to next week.