'My batting went downhill the harder I tried. The harder I tried to be perfect the more I was getting further and further away'
Former Australian skipper Ricky Ponting advised star batters Virat Kohli and Steve Smith to stop trying hard to rediscover their best and pushing themselves too hard and just focus on watching the ball and scoring runs.
After a disastrous home season with the bat against Bangladesh and New Zealand and underwhelming Test numbers over the years, which includes just two centuries, Virat would be making his fifth and one of his toughest tours to Australia.
All the speculation around Virat's form, future in Test cricket and lack of centuries have not affected his hype in Australia as newspapers feature posters and attractive images/slogans highlighting the larger-than-life status the batter enjoys in Australia. But all the hype does not take away from the fact that the series could be make-or-break for his Test legacy.
Virat's form from 2016-2019 is among the greatest peaks in the longest format, having made 4,208 runs in 43 Tests and 69 innings at an average of 66.79, with 16 centuries and 10 fifties. It was during this period he smashed seven double centuries, the most by a captain in Tests, a record which still stands.
But things have changed a decade later. This year in 19 matches across international formats, Virat has just scored 488 runs at a shockingly low average of 20.33, with just two half-centuries in 25 innings and best score of 76.
Since 2020, Virat has faced an elongated lean patch in the whites, scoring 1838 runs from 34 Tests at an average of 31.68, comprising just two centuries and nine fifties.
Virat has had a horrific home Test season this year against Bangladesh and New Zealand, in which he scored just 192 runs in 10 innings at an average of 21.33 with just one fifty. In the latest ICC Men's Test Batting Rankings, Kohli slipped out of the top-20 list for the first time in 10 years.
Meanwhile, Smith is also fighting to regain his best form. In the new ICC World Test Championship (WTC) 2023-25 cycle, Smith has scored just 738 runs in 12 matches, averaging 35.14, with a century and four fifties in 24 innings and best score of 110. Except for a century against England in Ashes at Lord's in June-July last year, Smith has not delivered much with the bat.
Since his last Test century, Smith has scored 572 runs in 10 Tests and 20 innings, averaging just 33.64, with four half-centuries and best score of 91*.
Amid this rough phase, Ponting has a word of advice for two modern-day greats to not go down the way he did at the back end of his career. Struggling with form, Ponting admitted that he tried too hard, and spent too much time on nets and fitness sessions not only to get back to his best but also to set an example to the youngsters.
During his last two years in Tests from 2011-12, Ponting averaged just 37.59 in 16 Tests, scoring 1,015 runs in 28 innings, with two centuries and six fifties. His best score was 221.
As quoted by the Sydney Morning Herald, Ponting pointed out that Virat has a fine record in Australia. He also talked about the Indian bowling attack in the absence of Mohammed Shami, who has not flown Down Under after his recent recovery from an ankle injury and is playing domestic cricket. Ponting said that India will be using Jasprit Bumrah against Steve Smith as soon as he comes out.
"If I was captain I would be bringing my best bowler back on for the best player in the opposition team straight away every time," he added.
Advising Virat and Smith, Ponting said that it is indeed difficult for a player when they feel they are not playing the way they could in their peaks and the game is getting harder.
"My batting went downhill the harder I tried. The harder I tried to be perfect the more I was getting further and further away," he recalled.
"Being in the team, but not being captain with all those young guys around me, I was trying to set an example as well and show those guys the right ways to go about it. I was fitter than ever, I was training better than ever around that time, and even when I went back to Shield cricket I made runs for fun at that level, but when I went up and was trying to do the right thing, it got harder."
"If I had had my time again I'd have forgotten about all that stuff and just focused on watching the ball and scoring runs, and Smith and Kohli have enough good people around them to get things back on track pretty quickly. That is the lesson I learned, and it will be interesting to see the mindset of Kohli and Smith this summer," he said.
Ponting admitted that both batters still have plenty of time left to get back to their best and feels Smith could do well after leaving the opening spot after underwhelming performances and moving back to number four, a position where he has thrived.
"I still think they have got plenty of time to find their best. It might be Smudge's (Smith) time actually, after that experiment up the top. He is back down in his more comfortable spot at number four, which I was on record saying I do not think he should have moved, it should have been an opener who played at that stage," he said.
As an opener, in four Tests, Smith averaged just 28.50 and made just one fifty. His tally of 171 runs in eight innings is inflated by a knock of 91 against West Indies.
Smith is back at number four, a position he has featured in for the majority of his career. In 67 matches batting at number four, he has scored 5,966 runs at an average of 61.50, with 19 centuries and 26 fifties in 111 innings. He has faced 11,278 balls at this position, averaging 101.6 balls-per-inning.
The batting legend gave the example of England star Joe Root as someone who found back a way back to the top near the end of his career and played way better than the front end of his career.
"These two guys are every bit as talented as Root and before the last couple of years have better records. So it is all there for them," he signed off.
After a small dip in form in 2020, Root has been firing big runs this decade. Since January 2021, having made 4,931 runs in 52 matches at an average of 56.68, with 18 centuries and 15 fifties in 95 innings, with best score of 262.
After the series opener in Perth on November 22, the second Test, featuring the day-night format, will take place under lights at Adelaide Oval from December 6 to 10.
Fans will then turn their attention to The Gabba in Brisbane for the third Test from December 14 to 18. The traditional Boxing Day Test, scheduled from December 26 to 30 at Melbourne's iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground, will mark the series' penultimate stage.
The fifth and final Test will be held at the Sydney Cricket Ground from January 3 to 7, promising an exciting climax to a highly anticipated series.
