Ponting warns Australia of India’s spin attack
MOHALI, India (AP) — Australia captain Ricky Ponting is wary of India’s spin attack for the opening Test starting today, even if Harbhajan Singh is ruled out because of an ankle injury.
Harbhajan could hold the key to the two-Test series as has enjoyed success against Australia. The offs-pinner has taken 79 wickets in 14 Tests against Australia at an average of 28.82 with seven five-wicket hauls. Overall, Harbhajan has 357 wickets in 85 Tests at 31.62.
India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni said Harbhajan is unlikely to be fit to play in Mohali, a claim doubted by Ponting, who argues he watched the spinner practise on the day he was said to have twisted his ankle.
“India might be trying to put a smoke screen,” said Ponting, adding that even if he is out, the hosts “still had spinners like Amit Mishra and Pragyan Ojha to take his place”.
Australia have had a slightly disrupted lead-up to the Test, with batsman Michael Hussey and left-arm quick Doug Bollinger arriving in India only a few days ago due to having played in the Champions League Twenty20 tournament in South Africa.
Ponting said a good start was imperative in a short series, which will be followed by three One-Day Internationals.
“We want to make sure that we start the game well and get our plans right,” Ponting said. “We are pretty confident that we will have a good start.
“India is a tough opponent and playing them often is a great thing for the game and great for both countries.”
India, the number one Test team in the world, and the fourth-ranked Australians have met each other often in recent years, so Dhoni doesn’t anticipate too many surprises.
“The boys know exactly what to expect, but the strategies are decided only after analysing the conditions,” Dhoni said. “Test cricket is about doing well in sessions. The team that wins more sessions in the last couple of days when the ball turns and bounces and there is reverse swing, is often the deciding factor.”
Squads: India (from): Mahendra Singh Dhoni (captain), Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman, Suresh Raina, Zaheer Khan, Harbhajan Singh, Ishant Sharma, Shantakumaran Sreesanth, Amit Mishra, Pragyan Ojha, Cheteswar Pujara, Murali Vijay.
Australia (from): Ricky Ponting (captain), Michael Clarke, Shane Watson, Simon Katich, Philip Hughes, Michael Hussey, Marcus North, Doug Bollinger, Ben Hilfenhaus, Mitchell Johnson, Tim Paine, James Pattinson, Peter George, Nathan Hauritz, Steven Smith, Mitchell Starc.
