Ponting attempts to control Ashes focus

Australia don't want the Ashes blinkers on but no matter how hard they try to consider their other important engagements, everything swings back towards England. Usually an upcoming series against the world's No. 1 side would be the main focus. Not in an Ashes year.

The Test campaign in India starts in the opening week of October but November 25 is the date the players and Ashes fans have highlighted. What happens in the following five games will help define the cricketers, especially Ricky Ponting, who is desperate to avoid a third Ashes loss as captain.

Ponting is so focussed on the battle that his latest captain's diary, which he launched on Monday, contains 10,000 words about the contest. There isn't a specific section on the trip to India. The Australians had already talked through two days of Ashes planning before this week's camp on Queensland's Sunshine Coast, where they are discussing an eight-month sequence that ends in the World Cup.

While the spotlight is on England's visit, Ponting is really trying not to let the urn dominate every thought. "A big part of what we're here about this week is making sure we don't just do Ashes focus," he said. "I know there's a lot of talk about it already. At the end of the day we've got two Tests against India and three one-dayers, then a Twenty20 and three one-dayers against Sri Lanka, before we can think about the Ashes.

"As far as the playing group is concerned, we keep our eye on what's immediate for us. And that's a very good Test series against India, a great challenge. We all know how hard it is over there. Most of the guys have toured there before and not had success at Test level. Hopefully we can upstage the No. 1 team."

Ponting wants to judge his men, who are ranked No. 4 and seem unable to escape being in transition, against the world's best current unit. "Playing them in their conditions, they are harder to beat there than anywhere else in the world," he said. "They have a few prickly characters probably that have got under our skin a little bit. I am looking forward to that challenge; it will give us a really good idea of where we are at."

By the time the Ashes starts, Ponting believes his team will be capable of "doing something very special". "Going through the home summer undefeated last year [against West Indies and Pakistan] was a great achievement by the team, but we will be better than that in the coming months," he said.

However, he has stepped back from his response last week that a 5-0 Ashes win was "absolutely possible". It wasn't a Glenn McGrath-style prediction, more a statement in line with the players' belief of aiming to win every game. Which sounds a lot like the same thing.

"If we play our absolute best cricket in every Test then there's a possibility we could do that," he said. "We'd love to ... but there's a lot that we have to do to get there."

The extra experience players such as Mitchell Johnson, Peter Siddle, Nathan Hauritz and Shane Watson have gained since the 2009 Ashes defeat makes Ponting more confident of success. Home conditions are another significant factor, with the holder of the urn being the local side in the past three campaigns.

Despite the loss to Pakistan in Leeds, Ponting believes the side is more consistent and is looking forward to getting Hauritz (foot), Siddle (back) and Brad Haddin (elbow) fully fit after injury. Siddle tested his remodelled action in Canberra last week while Hauritz is back bowling and ready for more action.

Ponting is also satisfied with his knowledge of England's new players, as well as hoping to re-open the scars of the tourists who were involved in the 5-0 defeat in 2006-07. "We had the wood on [Andrew Strauss] last time in Australia as we did [Alastair] Cook, and I think they will find the conditions difficult again," he said.

"I guess the beauty about their side is that there is no one there that is going to surprise us; we have seen all their players a fair bit. Jonathan Trott has only played the one game [he scored 41 and 119 on debut in The Oval victory] but we have a lot of footage on him. [Steven] Finn we have enough footage as well." But before all that, there's India.