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Former Indian captain Chandu Borde says Australia’s Ricky Ponting is doomed to failure in India again next month and has questioned his patience on low-playing pitches.
Ponting boasts 35 centuries in 119 Tests, second only to Indian wizard Sachin Tendulkar’s 39 in 150. The 33-year-old Australian skipper averages 49.06 in 19 matches against India but has scored only 172 runs at 12.28 in eight Tests in India.
Borde says Ponting, who averages 58.37 in Tests, could find off-spin his downfall again.
Only two bowlers have dismissed Ponting eight times — combative India off-spinner Harbhajan Singh and retired England paceman Darren Gough.
“He’s a player who prefers to play on the rise and on the front foot,” Borde, 74, told Press Trust of India.
“In Australia the bounce is truer than on Indian wickets where the ball keeps low and also turns a bit more.
“He has not shown enough patience, but on good wickets can still perform well,” the 55-Test veteran added.
Harbhajan has taken 64 wickets in 11 Tests against Australia, including 55 in seven Tests in India.
“I’m particularly happy with the way Harbhajan bowled in Sri Lanka. He seems to have recaptured his former self,” said Borde, a former Indian chief selector.
But Australia’s former coach John Buchanan says Ponting’s statistics don’t tell the full story.
“He was batting in the middle order and by the time he came in Harbhajan was right on top of the Australian batting order most times,” Buchanan told AAP today.
“Harbhajan had a slightly unorthodox action and was able to get some bounce and turn. He had a fair bit of armoury there that most players weren’t accustomed to.”
Ponting, who is expected to be fit to play in India despite a recent wrist problem, made 17 runs in three Tests on the 2001 tour batting at No.6.
“Most Australians prefer the ball coming on to them and prefer to face pace when they start their innings, without spin, without turn and without fieldsmen hovering around your bat,” Buchanan said of Australia’s current Test No.3.
“Ricky had changed his method in 2001 (to play more from the crease) when we went to India and I think that left him in no-man’s land.
“When wickets were falling and he was facing a quality spinner in Harbhajan with players around the bat, it became extremely difficult.
“Since then he’s pretty well aware of the best way that he can play spin or any type of bowling and I think he has demonstrated that in other countries on surfaces that are slow-ish.”
Australia’s Test squad to tour India is expected to be named tomorrow and departs on September 21.
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