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Legendary Australia captain Ricky Ponting has predicted that Rishabh Pant will be India's top run-scorer in the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 series. Since recovering from a horrific car accident, Pant has showcased exceptional batting form.
Ricky Ponting feels Rishabh Pant will be India's top run-scorer in Border-Gavaskar Trophy
Despite strong contenders like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ponting believes that Pant's recent form and potential make him India's most promising batter for the series. His impressive performance in the New Zealand Test series, where he scored 261 runs in three matches, further solidifies his position.
However, the form of other Indian batters remains a significant concern. Apart from Pant, no other player has consistently contributed with the bat, as evident in the recent series against New Zealand. Even senior players like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli had a disappointing home Test season.
In a recent interview with the ICC, batting legend Ponting predicted the top run-scorers for both Australia and India in the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25. Ponting selected Steve Smith to lead the Australian batting charts, while he tipped Rishabh Pant to top the scoring for India.
"Leading run scorer, I'm going to go (with) Steve Smith or Rishabh Pant," Ponting said.
"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 added.
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Ponting, who coached Rishabh Pant at the Delhi Capitals during the Indian Premier League, has a deep understanding of his abilities. The former Australian captain has long admired Pant's talent and potential.
Steve Smith has returned to his preferred batting position at number four after a brief stint as an opener. Meanwhile, Rishabh Pant has been in excellent form recently, scoring 161 runs in two Test matches against Bangladesh at an impressive average of 53.66. Following his strong performance against Bangladesh, Rishabh Pant continued his excellent form in the Test series against New Zealand. He amassed 261 runs in three Tests, averaging 43.50, and scored three half-centuries, including two in the challenging conditions of the final Test in Mumbai.
When asked to predict the outcome of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, Ricky Ponting reiterated his earlier prediction of a 3-1 Australian victory. He remains confident in his assessment and believes that the series will unfold as he anticipated.
"I think India will win a Test match somewhere through the five Test matches. But I still think now, Australia probably looks a bit more settled, a bit more experienced and we know that they're a very hard team to beat at home. So I'll stick with the 3-1 (prediction)," Ponting concluded.
