India hard to beat at home: Ponting

Sydney, Oct 20 (PTI) Hampered by injuries to key players,
the Australian cricket team took off for India to play a
seven-match ODI series with skipper Ricky Ponting conceding
that despite their Champions Trophy debacle, Mahendra Singh
Dhoni's men would be hard to beat in home conditions.

"They will be particularly hard to beat in India, they
always are. They definitely play a lot better at home than
they do when they travel," Ponting told reporters before the
Aussies boarded their flight to India on Monday.

India crashed out of the Champions Trophy in the group
stage itself.

Australia, on the other hand, are high on confidence
after clinching their second successive Champions Trophy
title. But Ponting said injuries to regular vice-captain
Michael Clarke and batsman Callum Ferguson has disturbed the
balance of the side and selection would be a major headache
during the tour.

While Ferguson is out for a year with a knee injury,
Clarke is battling a back problem but may join the squad in
the later in the series.

"The selectors and myself are going to have a bit of
thinking to do over the next few days as to what we do with
the batting line-up," Ponting said.

To their relief Shaun Marsh is back in the team after
recovering from a hamstring injury that has kept him out since
April but it would be quite a task for him to strike form
immediately and knock off in-form Tim Paine from the opening
slot.

"Paine coming in has had a fair bit of success at the top
of the order and given himself every opportunity to remain
there," Poning said.

"You go back six or seven months, then Shaun was one of
the up-and-coming batsmen in our Australian team and someone
who has got a very good record at the top of the order for us,
so we've got some tough decisions to make there.

"But whichever way we go there we know we've got very
good depth in our batting with someone like Shaun coming back
in, so hopefully we get it right on the morning of the first
game," he added.

Asked about the surprise selection of rookie spinner Jon
Holland, who is currently in India playing in the Champions
League Twenty20, Ponting said he has seen him for only 20
minutes in the nets.

"I've seen 20 minutes of him bowling in the nets leading
up to the Boxing Day Test last year, that's as much as I've
seen of Jon," Ponting said.

"He gets good raps from all the other Victorian guys ...
everyone believes he's got a good future. It's great to have a
young cricketer around the group, especially a young spinner
making a tour of India," Ponting added.

The 22-year-old is part of the Victoria Bushrangers squad
and Ponting hoped that the youngster would come good when
presented with an opportunity.

"You can't help but learn when you get over there and
bowl in those conditions and bowl to better players like Jon
will be doing," he said.

"He'll be bowling to all the Australian batsmen over the
next few weeks and he might get an opportunity to bowl to some
very good players of spin in the Indian batsmen, so some great
opportunities lie ahead for Jon. I'm looking forward to
spending some time with him over the next few weeks," he
added. PTI PM
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