Ricky Ponting ridicules Australian batsmen for 'underestimating' IPL mentee R Ashwin

Battle-hardened spinner Ravichandran Ashwin (R Ashwin) led India’s spirited fightback on Day 2 against Australia at the Adelaide Oval. After the visitors managed to add just 11 runs to their overnight score, the off-spinner rocked Australia’s middle-order through his trademark variations and he was ably supported by speed veteran Jasprit Bumrah from the other end. Australian great Ricky Ponting, who coached R Ashwin in the recently-concluded Dream11 Indian Premier League 2020 (IPL 2020) season, tore apart Australian batsmen for their unsuccessfully-executed aggressive approach against the Indian spinner.

R Ashwin shatters Australia by Tea on Day 2

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India vs Australia 1st Test: Ricky Ponting lambasts Australia, says they “underestimated” R Ashwin

While commentating on Day 2 of the ongoing India vs Australia 1st Test match, cricketer-turned-commentator Ricky Ponting criticised Australia’s batting tactics against his IPL mentee R Ashwin. He said that the Australian batsmen have tried to bat aggressively against the Indian spinner. According to him, the hosts “underestimated” R Ashwin and they forgot how “good” the off-spinner really was.

Ricky Ponting added that in their attempt of scoring runs against Ashwin, they ended up losing their own wickets and have now given a crucial upper hand to their Border-Gavaskar Trophy rivals. The 34-year-old collected three Australian wickets in the second session, including the prized scalp of batting connoisseur Steve Smith for just 1.

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India vs Australia live streaming details for 1st Test

At the time of publishing, Australia reached 177-9 in the final session of play on Day 2. Captain Tim Paine was batting on 59* and he was joined by tail-ender Nathan Lyon at the crease. As of now, Australia are trailing India’s first-innings total by 104 runs.

For the India vs Australia 1st Test live telecast in India, fans can tune into Sony Pictures Sports Network (SONY TEN 1, SONY TEN 3 and SONY SIX). Meanwhile, for India vs Australia live scores, one can visit the official website and social media pages of the BCCI and Cricket Australia. The live streaming of the match is also available for fans on the SonyLIV app.

India vs Australia 1st Test: Australia lose 8th wicket

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Image source: BCCI Twitter and AP