Ricky Ponting believes India are the “standout T20 team in the world” and expects the cricket powerhouse nation to meet defending champions Australia in the final of next month’s tournament Down Under.
Australia revealed their 15-man squad for the tournament on Thursday, which includes uncapped 26-year-old, Tim David.
Ponting believes David can have the same devastating impact as Andrew Symonds did in 2003, when the batting all-rounder had his coming of age moment and never looked back.
The former Australian captain also admitted that if skipper Aaron Finch continued to fail, “the pressure is just going to mount”.
Much has changed since Australia won their maiden T20 World Cup almost 10 months ago.
For starters Justin Langer has moved on as coach, with Andrew McDonald overseeing the experienced squad.
Watch Australia v Zimbabwe. Every ODI Live & Exclusive to Fox Sports on Kayo. New to Kayo? Start your free trial now >
And while they were underdogs going into the tournament last year, with the conditions largely foreign to where Australia generally thrives and a struggling team that had missed a number of its heavy hitters in the lead-in matches, McDonald’s side is very settled.
“I think the main reason they were underdogs was it was more about the conditions than anything else,” Ponting told foxsports.com.au.
“They had a really good team going into that World Cup. I think we fear the Indians and Pakistanis, and those teams in those conditions, and Australia were just good enough and everything sort of fell in line for them perfectly on that tour to play great cricket.
“I think India are the standout T20 team in the world because of the depth of talent that they’ve got and how many guys that they can just keep bringing in and out of that side and they keep winning.
“They’ll play these conditions well. We’ve seen in the last couple of years that they’ve played, even now they’re playing Australian conditions well, so I’ve got Australia and India in the final.”
READ MORE
ANALYSIS: Why Finch survived and Green missed out — Winners and losers from Aussie T20 World Cup squad
The major concern heading into the tournament is the lack of form from Finch at the top of the order.
Nor is it a new thing either.
For 18 months Finch has been struggling, with his form woes first coming to a head during the 2020-21 Big Bash, where he managed just 179 runs at 13.76.
Since 2021, the 35-year-old has managed just five half-centuries from his past 26 matches.
While in ODIs, Finch has had four ducks in his past nine innings.
Ponting, who too struggled at the backend of his career for consistency, said Australia would be reluctant to move on from Finch at this late stage but admitted he needed a score or two of note to firm up his place.
“Well, he had a reasonable series the one before (this Zimbabwe series), didn’t he?” Ponting said.
“And it would have been under more pressure at the start than he was at the end.
“I mean, there’s no doubt he’s had his ups and downs, probably more downs the last 12 months than ups but the ball’s in his court.
“I mean, if he continues to fail, the pressure is just going to continue to mount. But if he turns up with a few good performances from here until then, then I think they’ll definitely stick with him.”
For months Ponting has been impressed by David, who like David Warner has taken a unique path to the Australian team.
After struggling to gain traction in Australia, David has emerged and blossomed in overseas T20 tournaments and been called into the squad on the back of his match-winning cameos.
Ponting, who will work alongside David for the Hobart Hurricanes in this summer’s Big Bash tournament, said the Singapore-born Australian could prove to be a match-winner if given opportunities.
“It was only a couple of seasons ago he was struggling to get a game in the BBL and now he’s one of the more sought after T20 batsmen in the world,” Ponting said.
“I saw up close in person in the IPL this year, some of the impact he had on a few of those games (was devastating).
“In every tournament he’s played he’s continuing to get better and better, and I equate him to a bit like Andrew Symonds actually for the 2003 World Cup.
“I reckon if you get him in and give him a go, he’s one of those guys who could actually not just win you one or two games, he could actually win you a tournament, so that I’m sure they’re thinking about him.”
Ponting added that he was a “big fan” of Josh Philippe and Josh Inglis.
