I absolutely hate Ponting. I hate his guts. I hate the fact
that he doesn’t mind an occasional sledge. I hate the fact that he pioneered
mindgames. I hate the fact that he’s been so darn successful, especially
against us.
But I can’t not respect him. Just like every other person
who follows the game.
He was a bit of a street fighter, probably why people called
him Punter. Actually that was because of his love for horse racing, but he
didn’t mind the occasional gamble on the field as well. And just like a street
fighter’s main weapon was aggression and fearlessness, so was his.
The fact that he had the cricketing talent to back that up
made him arguably the most successful “1st drop” bat in the history
of the game. Not many realize it, but he was the only batsman who batted at the
same number in both forms of the game for a majority of his 17 year old career.
A career in which Australia won the world cup under his
captaincy, twice!! Reached the pinnacle of test cricket. There were minor
blips, of course, like being the only captain to have lost the Ashes thrice.
But mostly, he’ll be remembered as a dominant batsman and an even more
dominating captain.
There was an Australian pride he embodied better than any
other Australian player, a fact evident in his construction of a fighting
century against India in the world cup quarter final in 2011. A time when he
was in the twilight of his career, with both his skill and physical faculties
fading.
In a game made for gentlemen, Ponting wasn’t one. He was a
brute, an Australian one at that.
But the game needed characters like him. And when those
characters get 25000+ runs, you can’t really question their place in the HALL
OF FAME.
From a Ponting hater….Punter, you’ll be missed. Team Australia
won’t be the same when you don’t walk out at No. 3 in Hobart.
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