Former India captain Gautam Gambhir disclosed the most amusing sledge he experienced from the Australians, which came from none other than the iconic Ricky Ponting, with whom he relished the most banter on the field. Cut to 2024, Gambhir is being considered as the potential next head coach of the Indian cricket team, following the end of current coach Rahul Dravid's tenure after the T20 World Cup 2024 in the USA and West Indies.
Amid speculations of becoming India's next head coach after his stint as mentor for the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), Gambhir shared the funniest sledge he encountered during his first Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia at home. He revealed this in a video posted by KKR Vibe on X. Known for his fiery approach, the aggressive left-handed batter has often been seen engaging in verbal spats with opponents. One notable incident occurred during an ODI against Pakistan in Kanpur in 2007, where he had a heated exchange with then-Pakistani all-rounder Shahid Afridi. Gambhir stirred controversy once more when he allegedly elbowed then-Australian all-rounder Shane Watson during a Delhi Test in 2008. His combative nature was on display again in IPL 2013 during a confrontation with Virat Kohli in a match between Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR).
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Gambhir also had a memorable exchange of sledges with Ricky Ponting during the 2008 Test series in India. This occurred after the former Australian captain attempted to rattle him during the first Test match between the two teams in Bengaluru. During an interview with Forbes India, when asked about the best or funniest sledge he had encountered on the field, Gambhir responded:
“The funniest sledge was when I was playing my first Border Gavaskar Trophy against Australia in Bangalore. Ricky Pointing said something when I was batting. He was at a silly point, and he said, ‘You haven’t set the world on fire' or something like that. I had finished the series as the highest run-scorer”.
Gambhir also reminisced about a time when Ponting tried to provoke him during an appearance on Star Sports' chat show Cricket Connected. He responded by pointing out Ponting's record in India, saying:
“He was at silly point, and he said ‘you haven’t set the world on fire’. I said ‘Neither have you in India. To be honest, you have been a bunny’. His record says that as well, he’s been a bunny in India.”
Ponting's performance in India during Test cricket has been less than stellar, managing only 662 runs at an average of 26.48, with just one century across 14 matches. His One Day International (ODI) record is somewhat improved, scoring 1,736 runs at an average of 39.45, including five centuries in 46 matches. In contrast, Gambhir concluded that Test series with over 450 runs against Australia.
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