Date:17/10/2007 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2007/10/17/stories/2007101756172200.htm

Sport - Cricket

Ponting stars at charity auction

Mumbai: Ricky Ponting was a real crowd-pleaser at a charity auction here on Monday night. The auction raised Rs. 8,19,000 all of which will go to the ING Vysya Foundation that has pledged to educate one underprivileged child in India for every run scored by him for Australia over one year.

Ponting, in the course of an interaction with the audience, said, “There’s not an international match played without a glare or stare. As long as it’s not personal, it’s fine. Both the captains have kept things under control after the second match at Kochi.

“The Match Referee has congratulated us for that. There’s been ample camaraderie between the two teams. I know the seniors in the Indian team, but not as much the juniors.”

Why Australia is not blooding 18 and 19-year-old players? “That’s been on the lips of many Australians for the last two three years, we perhaps put the oldest team in the field. I made my debut for Tasmania at 17, but generally the Australians spend a lot of time in provincial cricket. For us, there’s no better motivation than to play for Australia.”

Ponting agreed with Adam Gilchrist’s view that 400 runs in an ODI innings will be the benchmark once teams get used to T20.

Talking about the evolution in Indian cricket, Ponting said, “India generates a staggering 60 per cent of money for world cricket.It was in 1992 that I had the first taste of Indian cricket. India has not stopped amazing me, its passion, the number of people who play and who come to watch.”