Ponting excited by idea of future coaching role in Aus team

Batting great and current Mumbai Indians head coach Ricky Ponting has expressed his desire to be involved with the Australian national cricket team in a coaching role and hinted that he could be ready for such a job after the 2019 World Cup.
Ponting said the possibility of being involved with the Australian team down the track was certainly something that appealed to him.
"I would love to be working with (David) Warner and (Steve) Smith along with some of the young guns like (Usman) Khawaja and (Joe) Burns -- that will be a lot of fun," the three-time World Cup winner, who retired in 2012, said.

"I know I will thoroughly enjoy it, but right now I have the Big Bash commentary and two months with the Mumbai Indians in the IPL. The rest of the time I like to spend time with my family," he said.
Ponting did not reveal the time frame when he would like to throw his hat in the ring for a coaching job with Australia, but hinted it might be only after 2019 World Cup.
"To be honest, I have not thought that far ahead (to 2019), (but) thinking about it now, my family will be a lot older, the girls will be nearly teenagers then so maybe I'll want to be getting out of the house," he was quoted as saying in Cricket Australia.

"I love everything about being involved with a team. That is what my life has been about, it is about being in cricket changing rooms and trying to figure out ways to be a better player, or as a coach now I'm always trying to find ways of improving others.

"If I can improve as a coach this year and I can improve the players, that is a step in right direction," Ponting said.
Former skipper said he'd prefer a more consistent role if he was to involve himself with Australia's batting group.
"I could (do a consultancy role) but to be fair, I don't think it will be fulfilling for me and I'm not sure how much the guys will get out of it," he said.

The former Australia skipper felt that India's Test
captain Virat Kohli led the team in the same manner in which he batted, aggressively.
"I can see the way that he plays, it comes through a little bit through in the way he captains the side. He is very aggressive, wears his heart on his sleeve and is animated. That's the way he bats and that's the way he captains because that's his personality," Ponting said.
Ponting, who has been the head coach of Mumbai Indians in IPL for the past two seasons, said he could not single out the reason for Rohit Sharma's modest show at the Test level as compared to his outstanding ODI figures.

Rohit, the only batsman in the history of the game to hit two double centuries in ODIs including a world record high 264 -- averages 42 in the 50-over format and 32 in Tests.
"I have seen Rohit up very close. I have worked exceptionally hard on his batting and his leadership around the team. He is one of the nicest people that I have met in the game and is one of the most talented people I have seen in the game. (But) I still haven't been able to put a finger as to why he hasn't been able to really dominate red ball cricket like he has with the white ball," Ponting said.

Ponting, who scored 13,378 runs with 41 hundreds in 168 Tests averaging over 51, sounded optimistic that Rohit can improve his Test record.
"I know he is a determined young man and he works hard at his game and if he keeps working as hard as he does with the talent that he has, then I think he can actually become a very good Test player for India," said the Tasmanian.