Former Australian skipper Ricky Ponting doesn’t discount the threat that Team India are capable of posing in big tournaments like this. They haven’t had the best of times in Australia before the World Cup but the 76-run win over Pakistan in their first match of the campaign tells Ponting that MS Dhoni’s men will only get better as the tournament progresses.
“I think they will get better,” Ponting said of India. “It was a very encouraging start for India the other day, although I thought it was a pretty weak Pakistani side. India got into the World Cup after a tough time in the Test series and the tri-series. But I got a feeling that they got a bit of a downtime after that and started to build things up at the start of this tournament.
“India have got too many class players in their team to not be serious contenders at some stage. If they happen to play as well as they can, they are very dangerous,” Ponting said.
For India to fulfil their potential, a massive improvement they will need is in their bowling department, feels Ponting. “Bowling is a concern; it always is,” Ponting said. “When any Indian team goes to play in Australia or similar conditions, it is always the bowling that is the weak point. Their batting, however, is outstanding. We all know that.”
By: BCCI
