BGT: Ponting reaffirms his 3-1 prediction for Australia's success.

New Delhi [India]: Former captain Ricky Ponting is optimistic about Australia's performance in the upcoming Border Gavaskar Trophy against India, confidently predicting a 3-1 series win for the Australian team.

Various such predictions from cricket icons across the world have poured in throughout the buildup of the BGT.

According to former India head coach Ravi Shastri, the series could end 3-1 in favour of either side. But he was quick to remind of the visitor's potential to race ahead if they managed to get off to a good start.

The last time Ponting tried to foretell the BGT 2020/21 edition outcome, his prediction fell flat.

This time around, he remains hopeful that it won't happen again.

"Sunny got the better of me there. So, I hope Ravi doesn't get the better of me this time. So I'm going to stick with the 3-1 Australia," Ponting said in the ICC Review ahead of the opening Test on Friday.

Ponting went on to give a detailed reasoning behind his call. He expects India to shrug off its past disappointments, which majorly revolve around the 3-0 home Test series whitewash against New Zealand.

With designated skipper Rohit Sharma sitting on the sidelines for the series opener, star pacer Jasprit Bumrah was named his successor.

Ponting expects India to step into Perth with a settled side by filling in the holes that led to their downfall in the past.

"India will be pretty certain of what team they're going to play . They've known for a while that Rohit probably wasn't going to be here," Ponting said.

"They've probably known for a while that Bumrah was going to be captain. So they've probably known what holes they've needed to fill. So they'll be reasonably settled," he remarked.

The 49-year-old showed his faith in the Australian team to shine across all spectrums. But he put the spotlight on Steven Smith and Marnus Labuschagne to go past their dwindling form and return to their rich vein of form.

Smith's form has been a cause of concern for the hosts for quite some time. After the 35-year-old hammered a century against England at the iconic Lord's in July 2023, the seasoned batter has averaged just 33.64 in 10 games.

On the other hand, since July 23, Labuschagne has been on the lean side of the patch with an average run of form. He has managed to just 653 runs in 12 matches, averaging a sub-par 29.68, with a sole century and five fifties in 24 innings.

" Labuschagne and Smith need to make runs for Australia. And their bowling attack obviously is as good as anyone's in the world. So I'll stick with my 3-1 Australia prediction," he remarked.

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