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Australia totally outplayed, admits Ponting

MOHALI, India - Australian skipper Ricky Ponting admitted his team were thoroughly outplayed after being handed a crushing second test defeat by India on Tuesday.

India beat the world's number one side by 320 runs, their biggest ever margin of victroy in terms of runs, after Australia floundered with bat, ball and on the field.

‘All I can say is from the first morning of the game we have been outplayed,’ Ponting told reporters. ‘It is as simple as that.’

India piled up 469 after winning the toss and took a 201-run first innings lead before Australia, set a 516-run fourth innings target, slumped to 195 all out against pace and spin.

‘They were nice and aggressive with their batting early on and it took all the momentum away from us from the start of the game,’ he said, adding it was a strange feeling to be behind.

‘We're not accustomed to being behind in test match series or being beaten as easily as we have been in this game.’

TOTAL CONFIDENCE

Ponting said his players would have a frank discussion before the next test starts in New Delhi on Oct. 29 but that he remained confident with his side.

‘We have to get the boys away from cricket for a couple of days. When we get back as a group, we will have a good open discussion about what we want to achieve and how we are going to do that for the remainder of the series.

‘I've total confidence in our group. With the experience and the talent we have in our changing room we can turn things around pretty quickly.’

‘We've to make sure we are playing a brand of cricket that is going to hold up in these conditions.’

Ponting also played down a spat with pace spearhead Brett Lee on the fourth morning after the bowler, who has struggled in the series, had been denied a bowl throughout the session.

The Australian skipper said he had told Lee he would not bowl first up, to take the pace off and deny easy runs to Indian as they looked to declare their second innings.

Australia fell behind the required over rate and Ponting had to call up occasional bowler Mike Hussey despite Lee being ready to bowl.

‘I guess where it has fallen down I didn't communicate that reason at 11 o'clock when he wanted to bowl. People are trying to make a bit more of that than what actually was.’