Edited By: Amrit Santlani
Last Updated: January 12, 2023, 18:23 IST
Gautam Gambhir feels Rohit Sharma is better than Ricky Ponting (Twitter)
Rohit Sharma has scored 9537 runs in 236 ODIs with 29 centuries to his name, while Ponting recorded 13704 runs in 375 ODIs
Gautam Gambhir has sent shockwaves down the cricketing fraternity as he called Rohit Sharma a ‘better’ player than legendary Australian skipper Ricky Ponting.
Rohit has an immaculate record in ODI cricket, the Indian skipper has amassed 9537 runs in 236 ODIs with 29 centuries to his name, at a staggering average of 48.90.
He also has breached the 200-run mark thrice, including his best-ever score of 264 runs.
Meanwhile, Ponting played as many as 375 ODIs in his playing career that spanned between 1995-2012, smashing 13704 runs at an average of 42.03, while his best score stands at 164.
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The Australian great scored 30 centuries and 82 half-centuries while also leading his nation to World Cup wins in 2003 and 2007.
Speaking on Star Sports ahead of the second ODI between India and Sri Lanka, Gambhir made a staggering comparison between Rohit and Ponting.
“The surprising fact is that in the last four or five years he has gotten this many hundreds. Rohit Sharma before the last five-six years was not this consistent. He definitely got about 20 hundreds in the last five-six-seven years,” said Gambhir.
Ever since the ‘Hitman’ was promoted to an opener by former Indian skipper MS Dhoni, he has become a lethal hitter, smashing 19 ODI tons between 2017 and 2020, even though his last century came back in January 2020.
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Gambhir’s shocking comparison left fellow panelist Sanjay Manjrekar stunned as he pointed out to the former saying, “You missed that.”
However, the 2011 World Cup winner replied, “No, he is a better player than Ricky Ponting. because Ricky has got a sh*t record in the subcontinent.”
Indeed, Ricky Ponting played 41 ODIs against the likes of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka, but he could only manage six centuries, whereas Rohit Sharma’s record outside the subcontinent is much better.
The 35-year-old has 13 ODI tons under his belt and he averages 47 in overseas conditions.
Rohit came ever so close to ending his wait for the much-awaited ODI ton as he scored 83 runs in the first ODI against Sri Lanka but missed out on the milestone, while he could only score 17 runs in the second ODI at Eden Gardens.
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