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Cricket

'Toh pehli innings me kyu nahi kiya' - Fans react as Ricky Ponting praises Rohit Sharma for brilliantly setting up field to get Travis Head out in WTC 2023 final

Here's how fans reacted after Ricky Ponting appreciated Rohit Sharma for brilliantly setting up the field for Travis Head.

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Ricky Ponting and Rohit Sharma (Source - Twitter)

Ricky Ponting and Rohit Sharma (Source - Twitter)

Australia racked up 469 in their first innings and then reduced India to 151-5 in the World Test Championship (WTC) final at The Oval on Thursday. Their star-studded top order, however, let India down and Australia look on course to claim a decisive first-innings lead. The Kangaroos are 123 for 4 at the end of the second day with a lead of 296 runs.

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Meanwhile, former legendary Australian captain Ricky Ponting praised Indian skipper Rohit Sharma for setting up the field brilliantly against Travis Head. The left-hander was tricked by Ravindra Jadeja on the very first ball of the over as Head went for a biggie, however, Umesh Yadav dropped it at the deep mid-wicket. After 1 ball, he once again got down on one leg to slap it through the covers and ended up hitting it straight back at the bowler. Done in by the spin and a bit of extra bounce as the ball hit the rough and a harp catch in his followthrough for Jadeja.

"It's great captaincy by Rohit Sharma. He perfectly set the field for Travis Head". Ponting said.

Travis Head's confidence is growing by the game: Ricky Ponting

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Head was the highest scorer in the first innings as he scored 163 runs off just 174 balls which included 25 fours and 1 six. After which, Ponting said that he is very similar to the former legendary Australian wicketkeeper-batter Adam Gilchrist. He even cited that Head is scoring quicker than Gilchrist.

“He probably is (similar to Gilchrist). In fact, he is probably scoring quicker now than Gilly probably ever did. His strike rate through this (World Test Championship) qualification period is 81, which is higher than anyone else in the world to have scored more than 500 runs. His confidence is growing by the game, his strike rate keeps going up, he hits boundaries early on in his innings which puts pressure back on the bowlers which is what you want from your middle-order players, and his last two years have been quite remarkable,” he added.

Here's how fans reacted:

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