Responding to Gautam Gambhir’s jibe at him, former Australia skipper Ricky Ponting on Wednesday said the India head coach was a “prickly character” and insisted that his comments on Virat Kohli should not be construed as a dig on the star batter, who himself would be worried about his prolonged lean patch.

Ponting, in an interview to ICC, had said that Kohli’s poor form would be a concern and any other international player would have struggle to keep his spot in the Test side with just two hundreds in five years. He though had also spoken highly of Kohli’s ability to bounce back.