Aussies oozing confidence

After a gruelling three-hour practice session which also saw Hayden and Clarke trying paddle sweeps against spinners, Ponting sounded confident of extending the lead to 3-0 in the seven-match series.

8220;The wicket being slow and dry will not offer too many runs. Our batsmen are in fine form and if we win the toss, we will definitely bat first,8221; he said. Ponting agreed that the new-look Australian side is doing well and there will be no change in the batting order tomorrow.

8220;The presence of Nathan Bracken will obviously add to the team8217;s chances. He is one of the top bowlers and has been in good form over the last two years. The batting order will remain the same on Monday and I am pretty sure that James Hopes and other young guys will rise to the occasion,8221; said the Australian captain.

Ponting also sounded eager to see how the likes of Matthew Hayden and Adam Gilchrist would tackle the bowling of Harbhajan Singh and Murali Kartik. 8220;Harbhajan is in good form. Our guys are practising hard to face him,8221; he said.