Ricky Ponting calls Gautam Gambhir a prickly little customer

Skipper Ricky Ponting has clarified his statement about India cricket team's seasoned batsman Virat Kohli and called Gautam Gambhir ‘a prickly little customer’ after the India coach had asked him to not think about Kohli’s form and worry about Australian cricket team.

“I was asked if I was concerned about Virat Kohli’s form. I had read about his stats over the last five years and I was clear in my mind before I was asked this question. I think he has made two Test match 100s in the last five years. He has averaged 90 in India in that period and now his average is down to under 30 in India. So if I said I would be concerned about his form and output I said I would be,” said Ponting on a show on SEN.

“If you ask him about his form, I am sure he would be concerned about it since it is nowhere where it used to be. But I said, he loves playing in Australia. He has got a great record here. If there is a tour that can turn around his form, it is going to be Australia. You don’t write off great players. They didn’t talk about the second part of the interview. Then Gambhir goes and faces the press, India have lost 3-0 to New Zealand and the hair on the back of his neck is standing up. We’ve got a bit of history as well, him being the Indian coach [now] so he took a chance to fly one back at me. I am sure it will be sorted,” added Ponting, who has one of the world’s most prolific batsmen.

Ponting laid into Gambhir. 

“As I say, and you’ll see him in the summer, he is a prickly little customer.”

India play the first Test against Australia at Perth from November 22.   

Tags : Ricky Ponting, Gautam Gambhir, India cricket team, Australia cricket team, Virat Kohli, Perth