Former Australia National Cricket Team batter Ricky Ponting has made his predictions for the third Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25. He said that it will be an even contest, but Pat Cummins-led side are likely to win the match at the Gabba in Brisbane.
After the two enthralling games, India and Australia are all set to lock horns with each other in the third game of the series. The match will kick start on Saturday (14th December) at the Gabba in Brisbane, and it promises to be an enthralling contest, especially with the way things panned out in two games.
The Australian National Cricket Team have a great record at the Gabba in Brisbane. Between 1989 and 2020, the hosts were unbeaten in Brisbane over the course of 31 Test matches but it was India who breached their fortress and won the match in 2021. After that, they lost to West Indies at the same venue earlier this year.
In the ongoing series, India won the first game by a massive margin of 295 runs in Perth, but Australia made a strong comeback. The Pat Cummins-led side won the pink-ball Test match in Adelaide by 10 wickets and made sure that they level the series.
It’s really hard to say what to expect after the way the first two games have gone – Ricky Ponting
Ricky Ponting, while reviewing the Brisbane match, said that it’s hard to predict what will be on offer because of the way the first two games went. While backing Australia to win, he said that the team that wins the toss at Gabba will bat first and then wait for the wicket to do things. Speaking to ICC, he explained:
“It’s really hard to say what to expect after the way the first two games have gone. I mean, they’ve just been complete blowouts either way. So you don’t really know what to expect. I’ve got a feeling it’ll be a bit more even contest than the first couple of games. I still think Australia will win.”
“Generally the team that wins the toss in Brisbane will bat first and try and bat well in the first couple of days and then wait for the wicket to start offering a bit more to the bowlers later in the game. That’s generally the way that teams play there.”
India have got a little bit to think about – Ricky Ponting
Ricky Ponting, while talking about the combination for both teams, claimed that India will have to think about their combination. While giving insights about the wicket in Gabba, he explained:
“Australia, if (Josh) Hazlewood is not fit, will be unchanged. India have got a little bit to think about. Who do I think will dominate up there? Look, it’ll probably be a bowler-friendly pitch again for the first couple of days of the game.
“There’s normally eight or 10mm of grass on that wicket at the Gabba. If it’s cloudy and overcast, then the bowlers are going to be licking their lips early in the game and the batsmen are going to have to work hard for their runs.”
I’ll back Australia to win at the Gabba – Ricky Ponting
Ricky Ponting, while predicting the game, highlighted Australia’s record at the Gabba and backed them to win the match.
“I’ll back recent form up there. India has got a good record. Going through history, I think Australia only lost twice there in about 40 years. So, I’ll back Australia to win at the Gabba.”