Ponting's injury and missing the first test

Australian captain Ricky Ponting will miss the first test against India due to a fractured thumb. He has been replaced in the squad by Hodge who might make way for Ponting if he recovers by the second test.

I am not sure this is a very good happening for India. Last time Australia visited India, Ponting struggled mightily against the spin of Harbhajan ... in fact, his lunging, prodding, missing and edging was one of the morale-boosters for the Indian team. Ponting did play Bhajji pretty well after that test series, but that was in ODI cricket, more notably the world cup final where he hammered the Indian bowling out of sight. But test cricket is still a different ball game and with Bhajji looking to be back in form (again forget the hammering against Pakistan ... it was again a ODI game) and Kumble re-discovering his line and length in the past couple of test series, we need people like Ponting in the Australian team, if not for anything else, then just for the psycholigical edge of having struggled the last time around ... after all, it was not that long back ... just three years ago.

Anyway, Ponting is gone and nothing can be done about it. Indian better think of ways of containing the better spin players in the Australian team like Hayden and Lehmann. We still have spin-"gaddas" like Gilchrist in the squad to exploit.

Last note - watch out for Michael Clarke ... he is so good he scares the dickens out of me sometimes ... more worrying is his proficiency against spin. India better make plans for this guy else we may create a superstar out of a potential performer.

Cheers,

The Chuckster