IND vs AUS 2023: Not looking at the batter’s form in the series because it has been an absolute nightmare – Ricky Ponting defends Virat Kohli

Former Australian skipper Ricky Ponting has put his weight behind under-fire Virat Kohli. While Kohli has got back into form in the limited-overs format, he is set to hit the straps in the red-ball version. Kohli has amassed only 111 runs in five innings of the ongoing Border-Gavaskar series against Australia at an average of 22.20.

In fact, Kohli has got off to multiple starts in the ongoing series but he has failed to convert them into big scores. Kohli was looking good for a big score in the first innings of the Delhi Test as he scored 44 runs but could not go past the 50-run mark.

“For Kohli, I have said that over and over, champion players always find a way. He might be in a bit of a drought at the moment, and might not be scoring runs which we all expect him to score but he is a realist as well,” Ponting said on ICC Review.

“When you are a batsman and you are struggling and not scoring runs, you are pretty aware of that yourself. I am not concerned about this because I am confident he will bounce back,” Ponting further added.

Ponting has defended Kohli’s rotten form, stating that it hasn’t been easy for the batters to get going on difficult pitches in the ongoing Test series.

“I am not looking at anybody’s form in the series because for batters it has been an absolute nightmare. Australia have done a remarkable job by turning around those first two Test matches and coming back to win the third. We all know batting has been so incredibly difficult,” Ponting said.

“And it has not been because of the turn, but also the uneven bounce which makes you lose trust in the wicket and if that happens you are guessing all the time which makes batting really difficult.” Ponting further added.

Virat Kohli will want to make a substantial contribution in the fourth Test match of the series. The right-hander has had a couple of unlucky dismissals in the series as well. Kohli was caught down the leg-side on an innocuous delivery in the Nagpur Test and then his LBW dismissal was a controversial one in Delhi.

The fourth Test will be played at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad from March 9.