Less than a fortnight after he coached Delhi Capitals to the IPL 2020 final, Ricky Ponting is back on the field guiding the Australian team as their batting advisor for the upcoming full-fledged series against India.

Without wasting much time, the former Australia captain has taken to the field right from the start of the session to the end of it, throwing balls at the nets and guiding the players ahead of their white ball series against India that begins on November 27.

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“Ponting is in the hub and quarantine, he is so generous with his time. He has thrown ball right from the start of the sessions to the end of the sessions and he probably gets a little tired, then he has a few anti-inflammatories and then goes to bed,” said Australian all-rounder Marcus Stoinis on Saturday.

Stoinis as a player, and Ponting as coach, had combined to take Delhi Capitals to the final of the IPL earlier this month. The Australian all-rounder said he got plenty of confidence and backing from Ponting.

“He is as good as it gets, not just as a player. We all have heard stories how good he is. When you get to know him as a person, you understand why he is so good and why he was so good as a player. The confidence he instills in you. The way he takes to you he is as good as it gets,” explained Stoinis adding that Ponting’s biggest strength as a coach is that he does not unnecessarily tinker with your style of play.

“He has helped and guided me. I have known him for a while and he has been more generous with his time with me. I think he is also not someone who will sit down and tell you, he will either show you the way or only speak when he feels he has something to tell you or to help you. He is not in the business of changing people. But like all good coaches, who you don’t realise are coaching but when you look back you think that was bloody important.”

India’s tour of Australia will kick off with the ODI series from November 27. It will be followed by the three-match T20I series from December 4 before the Virat Kohli-led team begins the title defence of the Border-Gavaskar trophy with the pink-ball Test in Adelaide from December 17.

The first Test at Adelaide will be India’s first day-nigt Test outside home soil. It will also be skipper Virat Kohli’s only appearance in all-whites in Australia this time as he would return to India on a paternity leave after the opener.

Kohli had already informed the BCCI about his wish to return to India to unite with his wife Anushka Sharma. They are expecting their first child in January next year.

The day-night Test will be followed by Tests at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (December 26), the Sydney Cricket Ground (January 7) and the Gabba (January 15).