Ponting punishes India

Captain-in-waiting Ricky Ponting smashed an unbeaten 176 as Australia roasted a threadbare Indian bowling attack to take a vice-like grip on the second Test at the Adelaide Oval on Friday.

Vice-captain Ponting, who will take over as Australia's Test skipper on the retirement of Steve Waugh early next month, continued his rich scoring vein with his 10th century in his last 19 Tests. His 19th Test century sets the Australians well on the way to an imposing first innings total.

The Indians were incapable of stemming the flow of runs after competing so well in the drawn first Test in Brisbane.

At stumps on day one, Australia had raced to 400 for five on a perfect batting strip after winning the toss -- a sumptuous scoring rate of 4.4 runs an over.

Ponting collected 24 boundaries in his 364-minute innings knock, and wrapped up a superb day for Australia with Adam Gilchrist not out nine.

"I had a life on 17 which was a good let-off for me and the wicket was very good to bat on and the outfield was really quick, I'm very happy with the way things went," Ponting said.

"From a team's point of view, 5-400 on a first day of a Test match is an outstanding start and it's vital tomorrow morning that we capitalise on that start and get a good partnership going.

"Today we managed to bat through the day and the wicket is going to be very hard for anyone to bowl on."

Simon Katich was out for 75 in the day's second last over to a memorable diving catch by Virender Sehwag in the outfield off Agit Agarkar's bowling.

Ponting gave just one chance in his six-hour vigil when he was dropped on 17 by Sehwag at third slip.

Katich, in the team for the injured Darren Lehmann, grew in confidence after taking 28 minutes and 13 balls to get off the mark.

His knock included nine fours and a six off 109 balls and he shared in a 138-run partnership with Ponting for the fifth wicket.

Indian skipper Saurav Ganguly had limited bowling options after the loss of strike bowler Zaheer Khan with a hamstring injury and front-line off-spinner Harbhajan Singh, who is expected to have surgery on his middle spinning finger next week.

The tourists' docile attack was led by 19-year-old Test debutant Irfan Pathan and fellow left-armer Akish Nehra, who made up for his lamentable ground fielding with an improved second spell of two wickets.

Experienced Anil Kumble, who came in for Harbhajan, may have taken 359 career Test wickets, but he continued his lean pickings in Australia where he averages over 90 for each of his six wickets in four Tests.

The five Australian wickets to fall were Matthew Hayden (12), Justin Langer (58), Damien Martyn (30), Steve Waugh (30) and Katich (75).

Pathan claimed the wicket of Hayden when he edged to wicketkeeper Parthiv Patel inside the first half-hour, Pathan's first spell was 1-27 off seven overs.

First Test centurion Justin Langer was out on the second-last ball before lunch for 58, ending a 113-run partnership with Ponting.

Nearing lunch Langer ripped into Kumble, clubbing two sixes and two fours for 20 runs in one over to race to his 20th Test half-century off 64 balls.

But he was deceived by a Kumble delivery and was cramped up in an attempted sweep shot to spoon a catch to the retreating Sehwag.

Martyn looked to be cruising before he edged Nehra to VVS Laxman at second slip leaving Australia at 200 for three. That brought skipper Waugh into bat to a huge roar in his final Adelaide Test in his farewell series.

Waugh crashed left-arm paceman Pathan for successive fours, but his 68-minute innings came to an end when he was bowled by Nehra after being set up with two short-pitched balls and then getting a full-length delivery.

Australia surprised at the start of the day by leaving out left-arm paceman Nathan Bracken to make room for fast bowler Brad Williams in the eleven.

Andy Bichel was expected to lose his place but was kept in the team despite his woeful return of 1-130 in the first innings of the Brisbane Test on the strength of his form over the last 18 months in the national team.