Ponting predicts 3-1 triumph for Australia in Border-Gavaskar series
He said that the visitors will find taking 20 wickets in a Test as the “biggest challenge” in the absence of Mohammed Shami.
Senior Indian opener Murali Vijay had a disappointing start to the ongoing four-match Test series between India and Australia, and former Oz captain Ricky Ponting feels he should make ways for teenage prodigy Prithvi Shaw for the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne.
“I think it’s got to be Murali Vijay who goes,” Ricky Ponting told cricket.com.au. “It was probably a bit of a bat-off coming into the series between those two. I saw him (Shaw) out in the outfield today hitting a few balls, starting to look like he’s getting around a bit better and with 10 days to go before the next Test you’d think he’ll come back in. So I think it’s got to be Vijay that goes out.”
Prithvi Shaw has been ruled out from the first two Test matches against Australia after suffering an ankle injury during the warm-up game against Cricket Australia XI.
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Speaking about out-of-form Murali Vijay, Ponting pointed out that he was dismissed twice in the same manner in the Adelaide Test. So far in three innings, Vijay has scores of 11, 18, and zero.
“We saw him get out twice in Adelaide to very similar shots; two balls from Starc that just pushed across, didn’t swing back in and he nicked both of those and he got the other one today that comes back through the gate. Give credit to Starc for the way he’s bowled to him,” Ponting added.
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