Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting has come in defence of Virat Kohli who is going through a lean patch in Test cricket for quite some time now. The former India skipper’s form in the longest format of the game has been a matter of concern.

He has not scored a Test century since the one against Bangladesh at the Eden Gardens in 2019. The right-handed batsman has also not managed to cross the 50-run mark since stepping down as captain in January last year. Since then, he has played 8 Tests and his highest score has been only 45.

His form has not shown any improvement in the ongoing series against Australia either. While most of the batsmen have struggled in the extreme conditions, a lot was expected from an experienced batsman like Virat Kohli. The right-handed batsman has registered scored of 12, 44, 20, 22 and 13 so far.

Ricky Ponting on Virat Kohli’s form:

With Virat Kohli struggling in Tests, Ricky Ponting has thrown his support behind the India batting superstar. Speaking to ICC, the legendary Australian started by saying that he was unperturbed by Kohli’s lack of a big score during the current series.

“I’m not looking at anybody’s form in this Test series because, for a batsman, it has just been an absolute, it’s been a nightmare,” Ponting said.

“For Virat, I’ve said it before I say it over and over. Champion players always find a way, and yes, it might seem like he’s in a bit of a drought at the moment and he might not be scoring the runs that we all expect him to score.

“And certainly, you know, he’s a realist as well. And we all know as batsmen, when you’re struggling and not scoring runs, you don’t need anybody else to tell you. You’re pretty aware of it yourself.

“But no, I’m every day of the week putting my hand up and not even showing any sort of concern to Virat Kohli. Because I know he will bounce back,” he added.

Kohli will be looking to turn things around when India take on Australia in the fourth and final Test. The match is scheduled to be played at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad from March 9.

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