BRISBANE: Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting has denied he is jaded and wants to battle through his current batting slump.
His teammates made merry against India on a benign Gabba wicket in Sunday's tri one-day international drubbing. But Ponting scratched around for 26 deliveries to make only seven runs.
It was the fifth consecutive ODI that Ponting has failed to reach double figures and called into question the 37-year-old's place in the Australian one-day team.
But Ponting, who has stood in for injured captain Michael Clarke for the last two ODIs, said he was working hard in the nets and wanted to bat his way out of his current problems.
And he said he definitely did not want to be rested under Australia's controversial rotation policy.
"It's fair to say I've struggled in the first five games," Ponting told reporters after Sunday's game, which Australia won by 110 runs after India failed to get anywhere near the home side's score of 288 for five.
"(But) at the end of the day I'm available for selection for Hobart's game (against Sri Lanka on Friday).
"I'm not going to put my hand up and say I want a break, because when you are going through a lean trot like I've had the last couple of games, you want to turn that around."
Ponting, who ranks second only to Sachin Tendulkar with most ODI runs (13,704), has scored just 18 runs in five knocks in the tri-series for a meagre average of 3.60.
Ponting said the hectic travel schedule of the tri-series across Australia meant he had not been able to do any extra batting practice, but he said he had still amassed plenty of hours in the nets.
"When we travelled yesterday I got off the bus at the hotel and pretty much came straight down here to the Gabba and spent probably another hour and a half batting," he said.
"But when you're in this time of the summer it's really important to try and manage your time as best you can.
"Make sure you're getting as much practice as you can but also giving yourself as much chance to freshen up both physically and mentally.
"I think for me the last couple of weeks my body's stayed in touch with everything, but my mind's stayed behind where it needs to be."
Ponting added: "The next couple of days are important for me now.
"After another disappointing innings it's a good opportunity to have a really good think about what I need to do to play well for the remainder of the summer."
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