Ricky Ponting

Ricky Thomas Ponting - a specialist right hander from Tasmania is the highest run getter for Australia in both Tests and ODIs and is also their most successful captain. Ricky , who made his debut in 1995 ,took over as the Australian ODI captain in 2002 and has been a part of three successful World Cup campaigns and also included a 34 match winning streak-a record that very few people can match. More popularly known among his teammates as Punter,his uncompromising and arrogant behavior often drawn a lot of criticism in an otherwise glittering international career of more than 15 years. He stands third in the list of century makers in Tests behind Tendulkar and Kallis and is only behind Sachin Tendulkar when it comes to ODI tons. A predomoninantly front-foot player, Ponting is known for his exquisite cover drives but has often fallen prey for the delivery that moves away from the bat. Nevertheless , he has all the shots in the book and undoubtedly is an ideal role model for any youngster of the present generation. Ponting also became the first ever player to score twin centuries in his 100th test when he destroyed the South African attack with fantastic knocks of 149 and 104 not out. He was also named the man of the series as well in 2008, Ponting became the third Australian to reach 10,000 test runs. However , in spite of making into the records books on numerous occasions , the three Ashes defeats and the fact that he hasn't won a single Test on Indian soil as a captain indicates the two most prominent black spots in his reigin. For a batsmen who averages above 40 in any other Test playing nation, his average of 26 on Indian soil sounds baffling . Ponting and controversies often came in one single package , but he was strong enough to let his performances overshadow his shortcomings in the field of discipline. After an unsuccessful World Cup campaign in 2011, Ponting quit the both the ODI and Test captaincy, but still continues to be the nucleus of the Australian line up. Experts said Ponting 'lacks imagination' as a captain but most of the cricketers who played under him had a positive thing or two say on this legend. Ponting had a great home series against India in 2011-2012 which included a double ton at Adelaide. He ended the series with 544 runs his 3rd best series aggregate ever. He also became the first player to be involved in 100 test wins whrn Australia won at Galle - it was a staggering achievement for a man who prides himself on donning the baggy green. A continuous run of failures against South Africa in the home series in 2012 forced him to call it a day. The Perth Test was his final game in the International cricket. Ponting bye the sheer weight of runs and numbers behind him can safely be classified as one of the greatest batsmen ever to have played in the game. After his retirement, Ponting continued to participate in the IPL and represented the Mumbai Indians in a fer games while also for the Hobart Hurricanes back home in the Big Bash League. Ponting ,much like any other former players, became a commentator and voiced his opinions for Australian broadcasters Channel 9 and Ten Sport.