"Indian batters don't fear big stage anymore" Ricky Ponting talks about IPL's impact

Ricky Ponting credited the IPL exposure for removing fear from Indian batters’ minds.

Legendary cricketer Ricky Ponting has credited the Indian Premier League (IPL) for making the Indian batters play a fearless brand of cricket in international cricket. Ponting reckons the exposure they get in the IPL has made international cricket, especially overseas tours, less daunting.

India is the only Asian team to win a test series in Australia. They have done it twice on consecutive tours. They would be aiming for a hat-trick of test series wins in Australia on their upcoming tour.

The upcoming high-voltage Border Gavaskar Trophy will be played in Australia from November 2024 to January 2025.

Meanwhile, host Australia will be looking to win their first BGT series after a span of almost 10 years. Australia last defeated India in a test series in 2014-15 in Australia.

Ricky Ponting credits IPL for making Indian batters fearless

Former Delhi Capitals (DC) head coach Ricky Ponting believes that the IPL has made Indian batters feel less intimidated when they tour overseas compared to a generation ago.

Ponting further added that the main reason behind India’s dominance during overseas tours in recent years is that their batters can adapt to the conditions quickly.

“They won a game at the Gabba, which just doesn’t happen. I think their batsmen adapt to overseas batting conditions very well. I don’t think they’re as daunted by the Gabba or the Optus Oval, as they maybe once were. Maybe it is a selection thing, or they just don’t fear the big stage anymore,” Ponting told Sky Sports in an interview.

“For the last 10 years being around the IPL, I’ve noticed that a lot of the young guys [don’t fear the big stage anymore] as the IPL is high-pressure, it is like a World Cup for them. Their batsmen are all very aggressive stroke-making players. They are not scared of failing,” Ponting added.

India’s tour of Australia 2024-25 schedule:

November 22-26: 1st test, Perth Stadium, Perth (D)

December 6-10: 2nd test, Adelaide Oval, Adelaide (D/N)

December 14-18: 3rd test, The Gabba, Brisbane (D)

December 26-30: 4th test, MCG, Melbourne (D)

January 3-7: 5th Test, SCG, Sydney (D)

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