Ricky Ponting Passes 13000 runs landmark
Former Australia skipper Ricky Ponting on Tuesday became only the third batsman in the history of Test cricket to complete 13,000 runs during his century knock against India in the fourth and final Test in Adelaide. Indian duo Sachin Tendulkar (15,432) and Rahul Dravid (13,262) are the only other two men to achieve this milestone.
37-year-old Ponting, playing his 162nd Test, commenced the match needing 81 to reach the landmark and accomplished it with a slog-sweep to the square-leg for a single off spinner Ravichandran Ashwin. Ponting (137 not out) also shared an unbroken partnership of 251 alongside his successor (140 not out) for fourth wicket to drive up Australia 335-3 at stumps. Ponting has had a meritorious record at Adelaide Oval, as he has scored a century in all three of the test matches he has played against India at Adelaide.
Today’s century was his sixth at Adelaide and 41st overall. Ponting, often esteemed with the nick of Punter, made his Test debut against West Indies in Perth in December, 1995. He is the most successful captain of all time, with 48 victories in 77 Tests between 2004 to 2010. Ponting has also appeared in 370 one-dayers with 13,686 runs at an average of 42.63. He is second in the all-time ODI scorers list headed by Tendulkar (18,111).