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Former Australian captain Ricky Ponting has singled out Josh Hazlewood as the standout bowler for the upcoming India-Australia Test series. Despite the presence of other formidable bowlers like Pat Cummins, Nathan Lyon, and Jasprit Bumrah, Ponting believes that Hazlewood will be the top wicket-taker.
Ricky Ponting places his bet on Josh Hazlewood to be top wicket-taker in Border-Gavaskar Trophy
Hazlewood's impressive recent form and consistent performance in Test matches have led Ponting to predict his dominance in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25, which commences on November 22 in Perth. Given Australia's need to rotate their bowling attack due to a busy schedule, Ponting believes that Josh Hazlewood will be a crucial player throughout the five-match Test series against India.
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Hazlewood's strong form and adaptability to different conditions make him a valuable asset on both spin-friendly and seamer-friendly pitches. This versatility has led Ponting to predict that Hazlewood will be the leading wicket-taker in the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
Hazlewood's impressive performance in the current World Test Championship cycle, where he has already claimed 51 wickets, further solidifies his position as a key player for Australia. His consistent ability to trouble and dismantle batting line-ups sets the stage for a potentially record-breaking series performance.
“I think Hazlewood, out of the Australian quicks, is right at the moment and is probably at the peak of his powers more than the other guys. So I’ll go with him for the leading wicket-taker," Ponting said in the The ICC Review episode.
Ponting also anticipates a thrilling contest between batsmen besides the exciting bowling battle. He predicts a close competition for the highest run-scorer between India's wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant and Australia's batting maestro Steve Smith.
“I think Smith, the fact that he’s moved back down from opener to No. 4 probably makes it feel like he’s got more of a point to prove... that maybe he shouldn’t have gone up to open in the first place and that No. 4 is his spot and where he should have probably been the whole time and where he probably finished his career now,” Ponting added.
“And with Rishabh back in the side and probably coming into bat in the middle order when the ball’s probably lost a bit of its shine and a bit of its hardness and the form that he’s in, I’ll go for him as one of the leading run scorers as well,” he concluded.
