Former Australian skipper Ricky Ponting has suggested that Team India should continue backing Sai Sudharsan at the No. 3 spot. Sudharsan made his Test debut in Leeds but failed to score big in both innings, despite batting at number three. He was then dropped from the playing XI for the next two Tests before making a comeback in the ongoing Manchester Test.
While he scored a fifty in the first innings, he was dismissed for a golden duck in the second.
Speaking to Sky Sports, Ponting advised India to give players like Sudharsan the chance to bat freely, especially after showing promising form by scoring a half-century in his debut Test.
“It just creates internal pressure, the pressure a youngster doesn’t need or someone coming in doesn’t need looking over their shoulders on if they will get another opportunity. That’s why I was really surprised that they made the call on Sudarshan for the first Test and then went away from him and then went straight back to him,” said Ponting.
Ponting believes that young batters like Sudharsan need assurance and support from the captain and coach to perform with confidence when sent out to play.
“For a young bloke, you want that bit of reassurance from your captain and your coaches – We are picking you now and we are going to give you a decent run at it and see how you go. I’ve got no doubt that Sudarshan is going to be good enough,” he added.
The former cricketer also praised the England team management for trusting and providing consistent opportunities to emerging young batters in such a high-stakes series.
“They’ve got to show the faith in him, a lot like Brendon (McCullum) and Ben (Stokes) have done with a lot of the batters in their side – Ollie Pope and Zak Crawley. If you trust them, then you keep backing them that they are going to play these big match-winning innings for you at some stage,” he mentioned.
For more exciting articles, follow RevSportz.