Gambhir-Ponting Spat Heats Up Ahead of Border-Gavaskar Trophy

India's head coach Gautam Gambhir's pre-departure press conference ignited a verbal spat with former Australia captain Ricky Ponting. Gambhir defended Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma's recent form, questioning Ponting's comments.

Ponting, in response, labeled Gambhir as a "prickly character" and expressed surprise at his reaction. However, he clarified that his initial comments were not intended as a dig at Kohli.

"I actually followed it up by saying he's played well in Australia and he'll be keen to bounce back over here," Ponting said. "If you ask Virat, I'm sure he would be a little bit concerned that he hasn't been able to make the same amount of hundreds as he has in previous years."

Kohli's form has been a concern, with the former India captain scoring just 488 runs in 25 innings across formats in 19 international matches this year.

Gambhir, however, remains confident in Kohli and Sharma's abilities. "They (Kohli and Rohit) are incredibly tough men; they've achieved a lot for Indian cricket and are going to achieve a lot in future as well," he said.

India's upcoming Border Gavaskar Trophy series against Australia is crucial for their chances of qualifying for the World Test Championship (WTC). The team had their first practice session at the WACA stadium in Perth on Tuesday and will open the series at the Optus Stadium in the same city on November 22.

Tags: #Cricket, #India, #Australia, #BorderGavaskarTrophy, #ViratKohli