IND vs BAN: Ricky Ponting targets MS Dhoni, Sourav Ganguly; hails Virat Kohli for revolutionizing Indian Cricket

Ricky Ponting, the iconic former Australia skipper, has got the cricket world talking with his words about Virat Kohli and his captaincy. Ponting has showered rich praise on Kohli for giving new life to Indian cricket, especially in Test cricket, with his aggressive style.

Under the fierce leadership of Virat Kohli between late 2014 and early 2022, India did not only revitalized its approach towards Test cricket but also broke some of the oldest barriers. When Kohli was in charge, India played aggressive and fearless brands of cricket.

Ricky Ponting lauds Virat Kohli for revolutionizing Indian Cricket

Team India achieved immense success, including being the first Asian team to beat Australia in a Test series under Kohli’s captaincy. His captaincy had introduced the world to a new era of dominance of the Indian cricket team both at home and away across the formats.

India’s success story goes beyond Virat Kohli's remarkable leadership, as they have also seen a revolution in fast bowling. India was traditionally known for its spin wizards, but Kohli’s captaincy brought a major change of the decade as the world saw an extraordinary rise in their fast-bowling attack.

The rise of speed demons like Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav, and Bhuvneshwar Kumar gave a whole new dimension to the Indian cricket team's strength. These bowlers have helped India win exciting matches and changed the whole picture.

Ponting hails Kohli's captaincy for transforming India’s bowling attack

And Ricky Ponting gave the credit for this amazing transformation in fast bowling to Virat Kohli. The depth and quality of India's bowling attack have been the backbone of their success for the past decade, and Virat Kohli's influence in shaping this winning mentality continues to grow in the team.

Ricky Ponting was quoted as saying by Sky Sports: “Their fast-bowling depth is great. The leadership in the last 6-7 years has been strong. Going back to Kohli's start of captaincy, played a big role in turning the cricket around, and Dravid has continued the same in the recent four years. The influence of someone like that [Kohli] around a team would be great, and they've got star players.”

Under Vurat Kohli’s captaincy, India won 40 out of 68 Tests, with 17 losses and 11 draws. His tenure at the helm has made him arguably India's most successful Test captain, both at home and away.

Indian players don't fear the big stage anymore: Ponting

Meanwhile, Ricky Ponting recalled the historic win of India at the Gabba, as it was for the first time in 32 years when a visiting team breached an Australian stronghold in Test cricket. He explained how the different mindset and fearless attitude helped Team India win the Test series in Australia in 2020-21.

The legendary Aussie batter Ricky Ponting added, “They won a game at the Gabba, which just doesn't happen. I think their batsmen adapt to overseas batting conditions very well. I don't think they're as daunted by the Gabba or the Optus Oval as they maybe once were. Maybe it is a selection thing, or they just don't fear the big stage anymore.”