ADELAIDE: Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting advised struggling batters Marnus Labuschagne and Steve Smith to trust their game akin to star India batter Virat Kohli to turn their fortunes around in the remaining four Tests of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
Labuschagne was all at sea against Jasprit Bumrah-led Indian pacers in the opening Test at Perth, which the Aussies lost by a whopping 295-run margin, making a 52-ball 2 and 3.
Smith looked equally out of sorts while making a first-ball duck and 60-ball 17 before succumbing to Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj in the first and second innings respectively.
"Marnus looked the most tentative out of all the batters in Perth. Yes, it was high quality bowling on a difficult wicket, but he needs to find a way to turn it around," Ponting told ICC Review.
Ponting cited how Kohli broke the shackles at Perth.
"Virat went back to trusting his game and he looked like a different player in the second innings than he did in the first innings," Ponting said.
Kohli fell to Josh Hazlewood for five in the first innings but made an unbeaten 100, his 30th Test hundred, in the second innings that helped India set a massive 534-run target.
"He (Kohli) got away from trying to combat the opposition and focused on his strengths. That's what Marnus and (Steve) Smith need to do - find their own way and show great intent," said Ponting.
Ponting, who has 13378 runs from 168 Tests with 41 hundreds, asked the Australian batters to take more risk and apply pressure on the Indian bowlers.
"You have to find a way to take risks and put it back on those guys because you know the Bumrahs of the world - they're not going to give you too many easy scoring opportunities. When they do, you've got to be ready to pounce on it and put it away and try and put some pressure back on them," he explained.
Despite suffering a massive defeat in the opening Test to go 0-1 behind in the five-match series, Ponting cautioned the Aussies against making wholesale changes to the eleven.
"I'd be sticking with the same side. I think you have to show faith in champion players and a lot of the guys that we're talking about in this team have been champion players. Maybe not for a little while, but they have proven their ability on the big stage," he added.
Australia will take on India in the second Test -- a day-night fixture -- at Adelaide from December 6. Australia are trailing 0-1 in the five-match Border-Gavaskar Trophy after a 295-run shellacking in the first Test at Perth.
Josh Hazlewood ruled out of 2nd Test
Pacer Josh Hazlewood was on Saturday ruled out of the second Test against India with a "low grade left side" injury, Cricket Australia announced.
"Josh Hazlewood has been ruled out of the match with a low grade left side injury. Hazlewood will remain with the group in Adelaide to prepare for the remainder of the series," the CA said in a media release.
Uncapped pacers Sean Abbott and Brendan Doggett have been added to the Australian squad for the Adelaide Test.
"Sean Abbott and Brendan Doggett have been brought into the Australian men's squad for the second NRMA Insurance Test match against India in Adelaide. Abbott and Doggett join Beau Webster as squad additions for Adelaide," the release said.
However, Australia also have the option of bringing in pacer Scot Boland to the eleven in place of Hazlewood.
Hazlewood has a fine record in Pink Ball Tests, as the 33-year-old has taken 5 for eight in five overs in the day-night Test against India here in the 2020-21 series when the visitors were bundled out for 36.
This is also the first time Hazlewood will miss a home Test against India.
Abbott and Doggett have been coming on the back of good efforts in the Sheffield Shield matches recently.
Abbott had figures of 4 for 71 in 16 overs against Tasmania in his last Shield match, while Doggett had picked up a five-wicket haul against Western Australia, and now has 11 wickets in three Shield matches.
The pacer had also bagged his career-best figures of 6 for 15 in the A game against India A in McKay recently.