Ponting: India Excels on International Grounds Compared to Home Conditions

New Delhi, Nov 28 (NationPress) Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting believes that the Indian team plays better on foreign wickets and conditions than they do at home. These comments followed India's stunning 295-run victory against Australia in the first Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy held in Perth.

After an underwhelming start where they could not capitalize on their decision to bat first, the Jasprit Bumrah-led squad made a strong comeback in the second innings, thanks to brilliant performances from their top-three batsmen - Yashashvi Jaiswal (161), KL Rahul (77), and Virat Kohli (100 not out). The visiting team set a challenging target of 534 runs for Australia, who ultimately faltered against the Indian fast bowlers.

Bumrah took eight wickets in the match, while Mohammed Siraj and Harshit Rana contributed with five and four wickets, respectively.

'Australia lost by nearly 300 runs. They must be very disappointed. Everyone asked me on day one when India won the toss about whether to bat first, and I said, no, absolutely, you have to bat first there. In the four test matches played there, the team batting first has won all four times. You don't want to go against what the statistics say. Although they were bowled out for 150, they still had a chance to bowl on a wicket that was likely at its best for bowling. And Bumrah, in those conditions, along with Siraj and all three of them, including Nitesh Reddy, were exceptional. They deserve credit,' Ponting said.

'I must admit, I didn't think India could win the first test, going to Perth with conditions that are so foreign to them. However, I also pointed out prior to the match that I believe India is a better team away from home now than they are at home. They seem to perform better on foreign pitches lately, which has been evident over the past week in Perth,' Ponting added on Star Sports.

Australia pacer Mitchell Starc praised Indian batsman Yashasvi Jaiswal for his remarkable innings in the second innings, marking his first red-ball match in Australia.

'He’s not in his first game, so there's certainly been a bit of hype around him, and he’s very skillful. We saw that during the second innings this week. He’s a significant talent for India and will have a long cricket career ahead of him. It was good to get him out cheaply in the first innings, but he surely made up for it in the second,' Starc commented.

The second Test between India and Australia will feature a pink-ball format in Adelaide, commencing on December 6.