Former Australia skipper Ricky Ponting was renowned for his attacking stroke play during his playing days but what most people don't know yet is that he can also ace predictions. He had predicted that Australia were going to land into a lot of trouble after learning the fact that India's star all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja was fit and raring to go ahead of the first Test and it came out true.
The Pat Cummins-led side was humbled by India in the first Test match in Nagpur by an innings and 132 runs and the game got over in three days. Ravindra Jadeja was phenomenal on his return to international cricket as he bagged a five-wicket haul in the first innings and backed it up with a superb half-century while batting.
Jadeja also featured in a Ranji Trophy fixture against Tamil Nadu and bagged eight wickets and hence was in good rhythm leading into the first Test in Nagpur. Ponting was keeping an eye on the all-rounder's performances leading into the Nagpur Test and knew that the Aussies were going to have a hard time in the opening fixture.
"I had seen his return to first-class cricket last week and he got some 11 wickets or something. As soon as I saw that I knew Aussies were in for a nightmare,” Ponting said while speaking on the ICC Review.
“Because of how he (Jadeja) bowls on those sort of wickets – the pace that he bowls, the line that he bowls to right-handers in particular, where he is pitching the ball on the stumps all the time, and one would turn and one will slide on, like we saw, with the dismissal of Steven Smith today. I mean they're two identical deliveries. One just happened to turn and the other one went straight on and went back through the gate and bowled him," added Ponting.
Ponting also didn't shy away from making a bold prediction pertaining to the all-rounder and if it comes out true then the visitors will be in a lot of trouble.
“As the series goes on, if his body holds up and he can get through the four Test matches, I think he could very well be the leading wicket-taker in this entire series," the former Aussie skipper mentioned.
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