Ponting: 'Things can change very fast '
Ricky Ponting addresses his first press conference of the tour
Wisden Cricinfo staff
15-Jul-2005
Ricky Ponting arrived in Mumbai after missing the first two Tests of the series with a broken thumb. He will not be fit in time to play the third Test which starts in Nagpur on October 26, but hopes to play a part in the final Test at Mumbai. Ponting addressed his first press conference of this tour, and as usual, had plenty to say.
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On Sachin Tendulkar's absence
I guess his absence has been disappointing for the spectators. And as players, we want to be judged against the best. Probably we have not played the best Indian team so far. I am not sure. Some of the Indian players will regain their confidence now that he's back. How well he is prepared is a different story. I am not sure how much batting he has been doing behind the scenes. There is pressure on him to come back and play because of the way the series is placed at the moment.
I guess his absence has been disappointing for the spectators. And as players, we want to be judged against the best. Probably we have not played the best Indian team so far. I am not sure. Some of the Indian players will regain their confidence now that he's back. How well he is prepared is a different story. I am not sure how much batting he has been doing behind the scenes. There is pressure on him to come back and play because of the way the series is placed at the moment.
On his own preparation
I don't want to rush into things. I will be working hard, probably harder than anybody. First and foremost I have to see how my thumb reacts after a couple of batting sessions. I was actually wondering if I would be able to take part in the series at all. I had a pretty ordinary series here in 2001. I wanted to play a big part in this series as a batsman and captain as well. That's the hardest thing to do. Even harder was to sit back and see Australia win. I know what it means to me and the rest of the team to win a Test match in India. The cricket played so far has been outstanding. We are in a good position. It's frustrating that I will just have two innings to prove myself in India.
I don't want to rush into things. I will be working hard, probably harder than anybody. First and foremost I have to see how my thumb reacts after a couple of batting sessions. I was actually wondering if I would be able to take part in the series at all. I had a pretty ordinary series here in 2001. I wanted to play a big part in this series as a batsman and captain as well. That's the hardest thing to do. Even harder was to sit back and see Australia win. I know what it means to me and the rest of the team to win a Test match in India. The cricket played so far has been outstanding. We are in a good position. It's frustrating that I will just have two innings to prove myself in India.
On the fuss about Australia's batsmen "walking"
It's blown out of proportion. I think all batsmen walk at some stage in their career. Some times it's just a reaction thing. Sometimes you really don't have control over it and some times it's like what Adam Gilchrist does. He's made up his mind to walk all the time. I have not heard that from the other Australian players. Well, I read the other day that Damien Martyn is now a walker, because he was caught at first slip!
It's blown out of proportion. I think all batsmen walk at some stage in their career. Some times it's just a reaction thing. Sometimes you really don't have control over it and some times it's like what Adam Gilchrist does. He's made up his mind to walk all the time. I have not heard that from the other Australian players. Well, I read the other day that Damien Martyn is now a walker, because he was caught at first slip!
On Australia's approach to playing in India
In Sri Lanka we played tough, disciplined and patient cricket. That's the way we have to play in this part of the world. Things can change very fast if you move away from your game plan. What has been pleasing to me so far is that the guys have been very disciplined in executing their plans. Even the field placements have been different from the past.
In Sri Lanka we played tough, disciplined and patient cricket. That's the way we have to play in this part of the world. Things can change very fast if you move away from your game plan. What has been pleasing to me so far is that the guys have been very disciplined in executing their plans. Even the field placements have been different from the past.