Sport

Ponting hits back at Gavaskar

Says his team's behaviour has been reasonable in recent times

Ricky Ponting. — PHOTO: AP

Melbourne: Australian captain Ricky Ponting has hit back at Sunil Gavaskar's comments that the world champion was ``an unpopular team'' and said the Indian legend was acting ``high and mighty'' in repeatedly criticising his side for its on-field behaviour.

Ponting said it was natural that Australia's world domination consistently for well more than a decade invited a variety of criticism while other teams and captains like Gavaskar were always smarted from their defeats.

``I don't know if there are too many popular winners. If you are really dominating teams for a long period of time, I don't think you end up having too many supporters around the place,'' the Aussie skipper was quoted as saying in the Australian media.

``I don't mind if `Mr. Perfect' comes out and goes on about our team. I know we are all not perfect.

"We are not going to keep everyone happy 100 per cent of the time.

``But for some of these guys that have done it all themselves, it's pretty high and mighty for them to say that.''

India's poor record

Mentioning India's miserable Test record last year when it won just three of its 12 Tests, Ponting said Gavaskar would do well to look at his own team whose development programme he has been part of at various levels.

``I know who I would rather be going to watch. Have a look at how many Test matches they have won,'' he said.

``He has been a big part of that, he has been a selector and he has been on the coaching committee.

``They might want to start to look at the way they play their own cricket rather than looking at us.''

No saint either

For a good measure, Ponting reminded the former Indian captain that he had nearly walked out of a Test match along in protest against an umpire's decision.

``We all know the way he played his cricket, don't we? If he is talking about us, what about the way India have played their cricket over the last few years?

``For him to go on about behaviour, not too many captains have dragged their teams off the field either.''

Gavaskar dragged his opening partner Chetan Chauhan from the Melbourne Cricket Ground during a Test in 1981 after the master batsman had fallen to a contentious umpiring decision.

The pair made it to the boundary line before Chauhan was ordered back to the middle by the team manager.

Not liked

Gavaskar, writing in India Today, had said Australia, despite being the world champion, was not liked by many because of its on-field behaviour.

Ponting said his team's behaviour has been ``reasonable'' in recent times.

``I have probably been reported more than anybody since I became captain. It's something we pay a lot of attention to,'' he said. — PTI

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