'He's a prickly character': Ponting responds to Gambhir's jibe

Legendary Australian cricketer Ricky Ponting called Indian head coach Gautam Gambhir a "prickly character" after he delivered a jibe at him for voicing concerns over the form of star batter Virat Kohli.

As the first Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) at Perth's Optus Stadium comes close, the war of words between cricketing personalities from both the sides has only got intense.

During a recent episode of the ICC Review, Ponting had raised concerns over Kohli's Test form over the last few years, having scored just two Test centuries since 2020.

"I saw a stat the other day about Virat, it said he has only scored two (three) Test hundreds in the last five years. That did not seem right to me, but if that is right, then that is, I mean, that is a concern," Ponting said.

"There would not be anyone else probably even playing international cricket as a top-order batsman that has only scored two Test match hundreds in five years," he added.

In the same episode, he had also backed Kohli to deliver, saying that the star has a fine record in Australia and one "should not question the greats of the game".

Responding to Ponting's words during the pre-departure press conference, Gambhir had lashed out at the Aussie great, saying that skipper Rohit Sharma and Kohli are still passionate about their cricket and the Australian should worry about his team instead.

"Not at all (if concerned about Rohit and Kohli's form)...Ponting should think about Australian cricket, what concerns he has for Indian cricket? Virat and Rohit are incredibly tough men. They've achieved a lot for Indian cricket and they will continue to achieve a lot," Gambhir said in the press conference on Monday.

"They still work really hard. They are still passionate. They still want to achieve a lot more and that is something which is very important. The hunger in that dressing room is incredibly important for me and for the entire group of people as well in that dressing room. I feel there is a lot of hunger, especially after what has happened in the last series (an embarrassing 3-0 loss to New Zealand at home)," he added.

Now responding to Gambhir's statement, Ponting said his concerns over Kohli's Test form was genuine.

"I said I would be concerned, but I think if you ask Virat, I am sure Virat would be a little bit concerned that he has not been able to make the same amount of hundreds as he has in previous years," said Ponting.

"In no way was it a dig at him. I actually followed it up by saying he has played well in Australia and he will be keen to bounce back over here. So, it is amazing how little things can get cut up, but he is a class player and he has played well in Australia in the past."

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