Tendulkar is the best: Ponting

Aussie skipper says he is not averse to taking advice from mates

What does the captain of a world champion side do? Ricky Ponting leads from the front; though a lot of communication with his Australian team-mates happens behind the closed doors of a dressing room.

Ponting also makes a conscious effort to know more about his boys, away from the field 8212; to know what gets them to tick. What he doesn8217;t do is distance himself from the rest of the team, and is not averse to taking advice from his mates.

8220;It8217;s a very open atmosphere, and I try gaining inputs from players because I know everything I say or do might not be 100 per cent right,8217;8217; said captain candid during a freewheeling session on the sidelines of a corporate event in the city, ahead of Australia8217;s practice games for the Champions Trophy.

Australia8217;s official team-song leader after Ian Healy called it quits, Ponting has inherited more than the legacy from his predecessor Steve Waugh. 8220;He scored all those centuries, and everyone in Australia wanted to emulate him. In fact, the great thing about Waugh, Gilchrist, Warne or McGrath is that even after all that they achieved, they never sat happy. The attitude8217;s always to get up the next day, and perform all over again.

8220;We8217;ve been lucky to have world-class players over the last 10 years, and one-two can have that kind of effect on the team,8217;8217; he added.

Lucky with the flip of the coin, Ponting, though doesn8217;t consider himself superstitious. 8220;I have routines not superstitions, and things like a particular chewing gum are part of the preparation,8217;8217; he half-joked.

Ponting8217;s preparation as a batsman 8212; and he belongs to the rare creed of skippers who have piled on the runs more after assuming captaincy averaging 58 in Tests and 42 in ODIs 8212; includes visualising opposition, and jotting down 10-15 notes. 8220;I also plan my batting against particular bowlers,8217;8217; he said.

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In a team that boasts two bowlers 8212; Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath 8212; who single out their targets with firm declarations, Ponting prefers quieter challenges.

8220;I guess they both perform better under pressure, so they bring that pressure upon themselves. But the same won8217;t work with Gilchrist or me.8217;8217;

The world champion8217;s skipper, when quizzed on his Dream XI chose Flintoff, Lara and Tendulkar in a squad otherwise teeming with his Baggy Green team-mates. He also termed Tendulkar the best batsman, and Curtly Ambrose the best bowler, besides admitting that Harbhajan Singh had troubled him on few occasions.