Border-Gavaskar Trophy: Ricky Ponting opines Mohammed Shami’s exclusion leaves a big hole in India’s bowling, predicts 3-1 win to Australia

Hyderabad: Former Australian captain Ricky Ponting opined that the omission of Mohammed Shami from the Indian Test squad for the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy, scheduled to be played in Australia from this month, will play a huge role in India’s quest to win the series.

India won the Test series in Australia in 2018-19 and again in 2020-21 and has also won all the four series played between the two teams since 2014-15.

Ponting, who has been a part of many Border-Gavaskar Trophy wins, said Shami’s absence is a cause of worry for India. “(Mohammed) Shami just leaves such a big hole in that bowling group. Back in August, there was still some conjecture whether Shami would be fit or not. I think taking 20 wickets in a Test match for India is going to be the biggest challenge. I think they’ll bat well enough out here with the current group of batters that they’ve got,” Ponting opined in the ICC Review Show.

India’s bowling attack, sans Shami, comprises Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep, Prasidh Krishna and Harshit Rana. Apart from Bumrah and Siraj, the three bowlers do not have experience in testing Australian conditions.

Ponting, however, added that India would win a Test match out of the five that they are scheduled to play. The first Test will be played at the Optus Stadium in Perth while the second Test, a day-night affair, will be played at the Adelaide Oval in Adelaide.

The Gabba in Brisbane will host the third Test while the Melbourne Cricket Ground and the Sydney Cricket Ground will host the fourth Boxing Day Test and the fifth New Year Test match, respectively.

Ponting predicted a 3-1 win for Australia, with the teams sharing a draw in one Test match. “I think India will win a Test match somewhere through the five Test matches. But I still think now, Australia probably look a bit more settled, a bit more experienced and we know that they’re a very hard team to beat at home. So, I’ll stick with the 3-1,” the former Australian captain said.

India travel to Australia on the back of their first home series loss in 12 years after Rohit Sharma’s men were whitewashed 3-0 by New Zealand, winning Test matches in Bengaluru, Pune and Mumbai.

After the series loss, India have now slipped to second place in the World Test Championship points table, below Australia. The top two teams play the World Test Championship Final in Lord’s in 2025.