Ponting promises competitive series against India

Indo-ASIAN NEWS SERVICE

MOHALI - Australian cricket team captain Ricky Ponting said Thursday that his side was looking forward to a competitive series, particularly in the two-Test series, against India starting at the Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) Stadium here Friday.

Ponting told reporters here on the eve of the first Test that with only two Tests in this series, his team could not afford any slip-up.

We are confident that we will get a good start here. We want to make sure that we get our plans right. We love to come here and win, Ponting said.

The first Test gets underway amidst unprecedented security arrangements for both teams and around the PCA Stadium. Nearly 1,000 armed policemen will guard the stadium and the players.

The Australian captain said his team had got good practice in the warm-up game against the Board Presidents XI in Chandigarh this week.

He said that Australia were ready to meet the challenge of the top-ranked Test team, India.

He added that it was his responsibility to ensure that Australia retained their position as the top-ranked Test team in the cricket world.

Ponting said he was satisfied that Australia and India were playing more cricket than in the past.

This is a great thing for the game and great for both countries, he