Former Australian captain and Indian Premier League (IPL) team Delhi Capitals' head coach Ricky Ponting has credited the lucrative league for India's triumph in the Border-Gavaskar 2020/21 series.
India stunned hosts Australia in the fourth and final Test at Brisbane to clinch the Border-Gavaskar series 2-1 this year. India, who were struck by injuries, fielded a second-string side but still managed to defeat the hosts by three wickets in the historic fourth Test.
"With the Test series in Australia last year, the completely depleted Indian team who were down to their second or almost third-string team were still able to draw a Test match in Sydney and win a Test match in Brisbane against Australia at full strength," said Ponting to ICC.
"One, it says about how good the talent is but two, it actually says that they are ready to step up and play and they are not scared of the international stage. I think a lot of that comes from the exposure they get from the IPL."
Ponting said that playing with some of the best in the business in the IPL had drastically improved the skill-sets of the Indian team.
"They are playing with all the best players in the world. They are probably playing under all the best coaches in the world. Give them a couple of years in the IPL and I am sure they take that back to their domestic cricket and dominate there. And when they get a chance for India, you can see - they cherish it, they relish the opportunity to do it, and they are not scared of anyone," Ponting said.
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