Ricky Ponting’s statement on Rohit Sharma goes viral, facts revealed

Indian cricket fans were outraged when a quote, apparently made by Ricky Ponting about Rohit Sharma, came to light. The quote by Ponting read, “Players like Rohit Sharma won't even make it into the XI of Shield games in Australia". It turns out the quote was fake and made by a prank user who had used the name of Muffadal Vohra, who is a cricket fan with a decent following on Twitter. 

Rohit Sharma was out for just 3 runs during the warm-up match against PM XI in Canberra. The 37-year-old is likely to bat in the middle order during the second Test against Australia in Adelaide. It was speculated on Sunday that KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal will continue to open the innings for India during the second Test as well. 

Ricky Ponting (on Fox Sports) said, "Players like Rohit Sharma won't even make it into the XI of Shield games in Australia". pic.twitter.com/sCEqePvJJv

— Mufaddal Vohra (@muffadal_vohra) December 1, 2024

Team India beat PMXI by 6 wickets during the warm up game on Sunday. It was originally set to be a two-day affair but rains on the first day meant there was no play possible. The match eventually made a 46-over affair as PM XI were bowled out for 240 and India chased down the target with ease. 

Ricky Ponting slams Marnus Labuschagne for his failure in Perth

Australian batter Marnus Labuschagne is under pressure to deliver with the bat during the Adelaide Test. The 30-year-old had a game to forget in Perth as he got out to single-digit scores in each innings. 2024 has been a lean year for Labuschagne who hasn’t been able to score enough runs. 

Former skipper Ricky Ponting during his chat with ICC Review said, “He was the one that looked most tentative to me out of all the batsmen in Perth. Yes, it was high-quality bowling. Yes, it was a difficult wicket to bat on. But when you're facing the best bowlers as a batsman, you have to take more risks.”

The former Aussie skipper also said, “I think that's going to be a great challenge for Marnus and co. this week. It’s probably just letting go a little bit. Think about scoring runs first and not think about getting out first. There’s only one way to change it, and that is to be positive and show great intent.”