Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting said that India would start out as favourites in their ICC Champions Trophy semifinal clash against the Aussies today in Dubai, however, he cautioned Rohit Sharma’s men about their opponent’s uncanny ability of playing their ‘best cricket’ in knockout fixtures.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, de Villiers said, “I honestly don't think Bangladesh (are) going to make the knockouts. Bangladeshi fans might not like me saying this, but I have to be honest."

Ricky Ponting said that Bangladesh will struggle in the upcoming Champions Trophy

Ponting believes Kallis is not spoken about in the same breath as legends like Sachin Tendulkar and Brian Lara due to factors beyond cricket.

“You know, when you look at (Babar’s) numbers, it's been a bit like the stuff that we were talking about with Virat [Kohli] earlier on,” Ponting said

The announcement was made some two months after Ponting and Delhi Capitals parted ways, ending his seven-year stint at the franchise.

“And when you talk to opposition batsmen about him (Bumrah) in particular, it's always, 'No, he's a nightmare! You never know what's going to happen. One's going to swing, one's going to seam, he's going to bowl an in-swinger, he's going to bowl an out-swinger. And the consistency is there.’

Cricket was one of five additional sports proposed by the LA28 Organising Committee, and at the LA 2028, cricket will feature its widely popular, fast-paced T20 format.

A mix of flair and aggression at the top, a dynamic middle-order, all-round spin options, and an incisive pace attack made up Ricky Ponting’s Dream T20 World Cup XI

While much of Pakistan's fortunes at the T20 World Cup will rest with Babar and reliable lieutenant Mohammad Rizwan, Ponting believes there is a young batter at the top of their batting order that might cause a surprise.

Kohli was the leading run-getter at the last Men’s T20 World Cup, playing crucial knocks in key games such as his 82 not out against Pakistan and an even 50 against England in the semi-finals.

All eyes will be on the new Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in Long Island on June 9 when India take on arch-rival Pakistan in a contest that is sure to revive memories of the epic encounter that took place at the MCG during the most recent T20 World Cup in Australia in 2022.

Ponting worked closely with Ashwin at Delhi Capitals in the Indian Premier League (IPL) where the former Australian captain is the head coach.

Ponting has signed a two-year deal ahead of the second season of the Major League Cricket (MLC) in the United States.

"I think that's been almost faultless, to be honest,” Ponting told Sky Sports after the match.

While Ponting has been impressed with the way India have gelled as a team, the former World Cup winning captain shied away from including any players from the host nation when asked to name his top three players of the tournament thus far.

Australia lost against India by six wickets in Chennai on Sunday in their opening game of the 10-team tournament, where the Indian spinners proved too much to handle for the Aussies.

“I caught up with Virat about a month ago when we played them in Bangalore,” said Ponting. “And I had a good chat to him about his batting and where he was at and his career. And he said to me then that he actually feels like he's almost back to his absolute best. 

Former Australian captain Ricky Ponting has rated Sachin Tendulkar as technically the best batter he has ever played against, adding that the legendary Indian cricketer always found a way to combat anything the bowlers threw at him.

Former Australia skipper Ricky Ponting was taken to hospital on Friday after suffering a heart problem while commentating during day three of Australia's first test against West Indies at Perth Stadium, reports in the Australian media said.