5 Australian cricketers Indians love to hate

#4 Ricky Ponting

For some reason, Ponting chose to be an umpire after a dubious catch in the Sydney Test

He might be the second best Australian batsman ever, but Ponting was known for his unpleasant behaviour on the field, as much as he was for his exceptional batting. The Sydney Test brought to fore a number of instances when Ponting’s poor gamesmanship bordered on cheating.

Among other things, he appealed for a clearly grounded catch, became an umpire himself and claimed a clean catch on behalf of Michael Clarke, and stood his ground even after clearly nicking a delivery. Club this with the callous umpiring that was on offer during that tour, and it was surprising that the Indian didn’t just pack their bags and leave for home.

During India’s tour Down Under in 1999-00, Srinath hurled a bouncer at Ponting, who edged a pull on his helmet. As Srinath approached Ponting to check on him, the batsman unfurled a volley of words at Srinath, gesturing the bowler to go back to his run-up in an ugly manner.