It's not beginning of the end of our dominance: PontingPERTH: India may have managed to halt the juggernaut but Australia's days of invincibility are far from over, asserted captain Ricky Ponting.
Smarting from the 72-run defeat against India which denied the side a record 17th straight Test win, Ponting said it was premature to construe the defeat as beginning of the end of Australia's hegemony in world cricket.
"It's been interesting to read the newspapers which suggest that Australia's days of invincibility are over, we are on the slide," Ponting said.
"Australia is usually a team which turns things around pretty quickly," he said.
The Australian skipper, however, did not hold himself back in praising Indians wholeheartedly in outplaying his team in the third Test at WACA.
"India dominated the game. Their batsmen and bowlers were both on top of their games and they also caught most things that came their way," he said.
On missing out on the record, Ponting said, "The run of successive wins had to stop at some time. Our cricket perhaps just wasn't good enough to win us this Test match."
Ponting blamed his batsmen for not making a big score in the first innings, which, he felt, cost them the match.
"The deficit of the first innings was a major issue. It's very difficult to come back into a Test if you concede a lead of 120 runs, more so if you are batting last," he said.
"In the second innings we had starts but didn't have big enough stands," Ponting said.
Inevitably, the questions centred around Ponting's own form and the brilliant spell of fast bowling which Ishant Sharma bowled to him on the fourth morning.
It was a very good spell of fast bowling. He is tall and little unusual and gets the ball to dart back a long well.
"He bowled a very long spell this morning, I just wanted to stay and wear him down...I wanted to get the first session out without much damage," he said.
"Nothing is wrong with my form. I have not got the runs that I would have liked but I feel in good nick.
"India is a very good team, they have been good right throughout the summer and at no stage we made the mistake of underestimating them," he said.
He also doffed his hat at VVS Laxman, who once again emerged as Australia's nemesis.
"The knock of Laxman was also a critical one. It's not the first time that he has held up Australia," Ponting said.
The Australians, surprisingly, were found wanting against swinging deliveries but Ponting laughed off the suggestions that they were deficient in the area.
"In the 16 matches we have played, I am sure we have played swing bowling. In England (during the Ashes series of 2005), it was the reverse swing," he said.
Ponting rued the absence of Matthew Hayden who was not only missed at the start of the innings but also with his catching in first slip.
"Even in this game it was pretty difficult to leave him out. But I am sure he would be up for it in Adelaide.
"He is an all-time great opening batsman and you just have to look at his record and what he has done for the game. Hopefully he can come back and make a big difference," said Ponting, adding that Chris Rogers has been left out of theteam for the final Test.
