Three-time World Champion and former Australian skipper Ricky Poting has reacted to his former teammate Jason Gillespie being named the new red ball coach for Pakistan, suggesting that the former pacer is, in some aspects, like the Indian head coach Gautam Gambhir.
Pakistan men’s national cricket team will have their first slice of international cricket since being eliminated in the group stage of the 2024 T20 World Cup after a loss to the USA. They will host Bangladesh for a two-match Test series before hosting England for a three-Test series.
Ahead of what will be a few months of test cricket, the Pakistan Cricket Board has appointed Jason Gillespie as the head coach for the national team in the format.
But that is not the only significant personnel change in global cricket—India, who won the 2024 T20 World Cup, has appointed Gautam Gambhir as the national team head coach in all formats. During his first tour as the head coach, India whitewashed Sri Lanka in a three-match T20I series before losing the ODI series on the same tour 2-0.
Unlike Gambhir, who picked up the mantle of mentor/head coach in 2022 with the Lucknow Super Giants in the IPL, Gillespie has been coaching for about a decade and a half. While the Aussie has won a few titles here and there as a coach, Gambhir won his first title in a coaching position this season when he mentored the Kolkata Knight Riders to an IPL title in 2024.
Ricky Ponting On Jason Gillespie And Gambhir
Ricky Ponting, who was Gillespie’s captain for years and is an accomplished coach in his own right, has now commented on his former teammate’s appointment as Pakistan’s red ball head coach, suggesting that he and the new Indian head coach are alike in a manner.
“Jason Gillespie is a bit like Gambhir. Pretty much everywhere he has been, his coaching record has been very, very good. He will have some challenges. I got no doubt about it. But he is a deep thinker and, as I said, a quiet person that goes about it in his own way,” he said.
Over the next couple of months, Pakistan will look for a turnaround in their Test fortunes. Currently, this team is fifth in the WTC ranking with 36.66% points. They will play the next five of their Tests at home, winning all of which will certainly give them a mighty push in the ranking.
On the other hand, India is currently at the top of the WTC ranking with 68.52% points and is the favourite to make it to the finals for the third time in a row.
Check Out: Ricky Ponting On Jason Gillespie And Gambhir
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