“You can’t just be hanging on” - Legendary captain’s brutal statement on Virat Kohli amid AUS vs IND 2025 ODIs

Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting opined that Virat Kohli cannot coast through to the 2027 ODI World Cup, unless he approaches the bilateral series leading up to the event with the same hunger. The ace batter made his return to international cricket after a seven-month absence during the first ODI against Australia in Perth.

Virat Kohli failed to make an impact during the seven-wicket loss as he was dismissed for an eight-ball duck by Mitchell Starc. His last involvement in competitive cricket prior to the series opener was the 2025 Indian Premier League (IPL) Final on June 3.

Ponting outlined the importance for Kohli to set short-term goals, and not look to coast towards the 2027 ODI World Cup.

"The one thing I don't like hearing from anyone is that 'I've achieved everything in the game’ because I think you still have to have some really short-term goals and not just be hanging on to try and get through to the 2027 World Cup," Ricky Ponting said on ICC Review ahead of the second ODI between India and Australia.

Ponting further mentioned that both Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are theoretically part of the best playing XI that Team India can put out during the 2027 ODI World Cup, but only if they return to their best.

"Virat's always been a highly motivated person. And I'd like to think that he's probably sat down and even just given himself some goals and things that he can achieve in this series here in Australia and not be just waiting and killing time for that next World Cup to come around. What we know with both of those guys, at their absolute best, yes, of course they're in India's best team. But can they find their best between now and when that World Cup rocks around?" he added.

Team India head coach Gautam Gambhir and chief selector Ajit Agarkar have expressed quiet optimism regarding Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma's chances to feature in the 2027 ODI World Cup. The team management took a massive call regarding their long-term planning by awarding the ODI captaincy to Shubman Gill ahead of the Australia tour.

"That real fighting sort of bulldog came out of him" - Ricky Ponting on Shubman Gill's Test captaincy during 2025 Anderson-Tendulkar series

Shubman Gill was also awarded the Test captaincy right after Rohit Sharma retired from the format. The young batter had a challenging first assignment lined-up in the form of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy in England to commence the 2025-27 World Test Championship (WTC) cycle. He also took on the responsibility at No.4 as Virat Kohli also announced his retirement during the same time frame.

Ponting admired the way Gill stepped out of his shell to be a dominant leader during the well-fought 2-2 draw in the five-match series.

"I actually love what he did with that team in the UK against a really good English team. Certain moments there where he was probably a little bit out of character. He did what he had to do to put his stamp on his team and really stand up for his team. That has not always been his way, he is normally pretty calm, and got a cool demeanor on the field. That real fighting sort of bulldog came out of him when his team needed him the most," Ponting said.

Shubman Gill was embroiled in a major alteraction with Zak Crawley during the third Test at Lord's. The newly-appointed skipper also made bold remarks on and off the field to mark a memorable first series at the helm.