Former Australian captain praises India after thrilling victory over Pakistan

Former Australian cricketer Ricky Ponting has shared his thoughts on India's triumphant match against Pakistan, highlighting Rohit Sharma's exceptional captaincy and Hardik Pandya's stellar performance. 

Ponting's remarks were made in a video posted on the International Cricket Council (ICC) 's official Instagram account.

The former skipper began by lauding Rohit Sharma's captaincy, describing it as "outstanding." 

He emphasized Rohit's experience and strategic acumen, noting how Rohit effectively utilized his bowlers, many of whom he has worked with in the Indian Premier League (IPL), showcasing a deep understanding of their strengths and when to deploy them.

"Rohit Sharma is a very experienced captain, isn't he? And I just saw him then and said, mate, your captaincy today was outstanding. I don't think he could have done much more. You think about a lot of the bowlers that he's got in his team. He's actually had those bowlers in the IPL as well, not only for India. So he understands them, knows when he can use them, but it's one thing for the captain to set a plan, the bowlers are going to go ahead and execute it and Hardik was outstanding," Ponting said.

The 49-year-old didn't hold back his praise for Hardik Pandya's contribution, labeling his performance 'outstanding' in the high-pressure match. 

He commended Pandya's all-around skills, acknowledging his prowess with both bat and ball.

Ponting also analyzed the pitch conditions, pointing out the differences between the first and second innings. He noted that the wicket changed significantly as the sun came out, drying it out quickly. 

"I thought he did a really good job with the ball as well, and then you break it down and this has been a wicket that the seamers have liked, but their spinner bowled four overs for 20 as well and Patel picked up a big wicket. Yeah, the wicket was definitely different in the second innings. I mean, you can see Pakistan got the ball to hold up through natural variation, and you know, it was just a little bit tacky, but when the sun came out, the wicket dried out quite quickly and then you have to, you have to adapt and adjust on the run. I thought he did that really well," he concluded.