No Shubman Gill, R Ashwin in Ricky Ponting's combined XI for WTC final, includes just four Indian players

SportsTak

Legendary Australian captain Ricky Ponting has picked as many as seven players in his combined World Test Championship (WTC) XI ahead of the much awaited clash at the Oval starting June 7. Ponting even ignored Shubman Gill who has been in sublime for across formats this year. Instead he chose Usman Khawaja and Indian skipper Rohit Sharma as the two openers. 

 

“I’ll start with Usman Khawaja. His last couple of years, whether it has been in Australia or away, have been outstanding at the top of the order,” Ponting said on The ICC Review podcast.
 

“Almost since he’s been picked back in the Australian team, he hasn’t put a foot wrong. The older he is getting, the better he is getting.
 

“I’m going left hand-right hand, so I’ll go for Rohit Sharma as the other opener. He’s not just entirely form-based either. I wanted him to be captain of the side. Pat Cummins, I’ll mention him later, he’ll be in this side, but just from the experience point of view with Rohit, he’s obviously been captain a lot longer than Pat has, so I thought he deserved to be the captain of this team.”
 

Labuschagne over Pujara

 

Ponting chose Marnus Labuschagne as the no.3 ahead of in-form Cheteshwar Pujara followed by former Indian skipper Virat Kohli and Steve Smith.
 

“We know what sort of class he holds with the bat. Even his recent form in the last series against Australia was great, scoring that unbelievable hundred on a wicket where everyone else really struggled on.”
 

“Since he (Labuschagne) came into Test cricket as a concussion sub at Lord’s when Steve Smith got hit by Jofra Archer, he’s hardly put a foot wrong. He’s improved and come on in leaps and bounds to be where he is now, right at the top of the world Test Batting Rankings, so it was pretty hard to go past him.”
 

“Pretty hard to go past the next couple I’ve got in the batting line-up, which are Virat Kohli and Steve Smith. If you talk about great players of the last decade, both of these guys will be right at the top of anyone’s list. Both with exceptional Test records and both make a lot of hundreds.”
 

“I know it has been a couple of years and been a bit of a lean sort of trot with Virat, but he bounced back to his best in that last series against Australia and thoroughly deserves to be picked in the middle order.”

 

Jadeja over Ashwin
 

Ponting went ahead with two spinners in his combined XI choosing Ravindra Jadeja over Ravichandran Ashwin. Jadeja has proved himself with the bat and has earned promotion up the order. In the absence of an injured Rishabh Pant, it was easy for him to choose Alex Carey as wicketkeeper-batter.
 

“What I’ve seen with Ravi Jadeja the last two or three years in Test cricket is how much his batting has improved, and he can easily hold down a number six or number seven spot. It could be Carey at six and Jadeja at seven, or vice versa, whichever way the game was sort of going. Alex Carey’s Test career has grown a lot in the last 12 months as well. His wicketkeeping is almost second to none in world cricket at the moment.
 

“He had an unbelievable series in Australia last summer, and then his keeping in those trying conditions in India in the last Border-Gavaskar Trophy as well was absolutely outstanding.
 

“He probably didn’t make the runs that we thought he might have got in those spinning conditions in India, but most batsmen didn’t, so I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt there.”

 

Cummins leading pace attack

 

The Delhi Capitals (DC) head coach Ponting chose Australia skipper Pat Cummins as the leader of the pace attack including Mohammed Shami and left-arm pacer Mitchell Starc. Considering the English conditions, he opted for Nathan Lyon as the right-arm off-spinner to conclude his playing XI.
 

“Mitchell Starc’s last 12 months, I think have probably been some of the best that he’s actually had in Test cricket. He’s developed a few more skills, I think his consistency has become a lot better. We know how dangerous he is with the new ball, but his old ball bowling has certainly become better.

 

“I know we’re picking a Test team here, and Shami’s Test record the last couple of years has been outstanding, but some of his bowling over the last few weeks in the IPL has also been absolutely unbelievable,” Ponting said.
 

“He’s just about the pick of the new-ball bowlers I think now going around in the IPL. I know we’re switching to a red ball, but I think he thoroughly deserves to be picked in that line-up.”

 

“Nathan Lyon will be the other spinner in the side,” Ponting said.

 

“I judge spin on what Indian subcontinental batsmen normally talk about when they talk about facing spin bowling, and everyone I’ve spoken to from India or Sri Lanka and those sorts of places rate Nathan Lyon really highly. So he’s going to go in there.”

 

Ponting’s combined XI: Rohit Sharma (c), Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Virat Kohli, Steve Smith, Ravindra Jadeja, Alex Carey (wk), Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Mohammed Shami

 

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