'Infectious character...': Ricky Ponting fires Rishabh Pant warning to Australia ahead of Border-Gavaskar trophy

Former Australian captain Ricky Ponting has cautioned the Pat Cummins-led team to not be deceived by the theatrics of Indian wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant behind the stumps. This warning comes as India prepares for their upcoming tour of Australia for the five-Test Border-Gavaskar series.

"We've all seen him play and heard him in the stump mic, he's an infectious character to have around the group. He loves his cricket, he's a winner, that's what he is. He doesn't just play to make a few runs and be out there for the fun of it," Ponting said while talking on Sky Sports.

The former Australian captain supported his statement with statistics, noting that Rishabh Pant has already scored as many centuries as MS Dhoni did in his entire Test career.

"He must have 4 or 5 Test hundreds already and he's got about nine 90s as well. [MS] Dhoni played for 120 Tests (90) and made 3 or 4 hundreds (6), this is how good this guy (Pant) is. He's a serious cricketer," added Ponting.

Rishabh Pant emerged as one of India's most stylish batsmen during the recent tour of Australia, where a depleted Indian side managed to secure a historic 2-1 victory in a four-Test series. Pant's impressive innings of 97 in the Sydney Test played a crucial role in securing a draw for India, while his unbeaten 89 in Brisbane helped the team make history by clinching a memorable victory.

Looking ahead, India is set to embark on a busy Test schedule with three series lined up from September 19 onwards - two at home and one away. The team will kick off their campaign with a two-Test series against Bangladesh, followed by a challenging three-Test series against New Zealand at home, before heading to Australia for another exciting series.

Australian Test opener Usman Khawaja has expressed his admiration for the Indian team's determination to compete against Australia in all forms of cricket, viewing it as a gesture of respect.

"I think for Indians it's always been the case to beat Australia," Khawaja noted.

"More recently, you know, since the rise of India and IPL and everything else that happened, it's the same way with Australia against India. And particularly since India's beaten Australia in Australia the last two times.... It just means a little bit more," he added.

Also read| ICC unveils tickets for Women’s T20 World Cup 2024, free entry for....