Ponting, a former World Cup-winning Australia skipper, responded to a variety of questions during an interactive session with his fans on Twitter.
The skies were clear of the bushfire smoke that has shrouded the city on several occasions over the last few months and has organisers prepared for delays during the match.
Australia captain Tim Paine lost a referral when third umpire Aleem Dar upheld the decision after reviewing video replays from several angles.
England fast bowler James Anderson says he enjoyed the "well-spirited" manner in which he and India captain Virat Kohli had a go at each other during the home Test series earlier this summer, describing the contest as his favourite of the many duels with the star batter.
Images from Day 4 of the second Test between Australia and South Africa at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Thursday.
It took nearly a year longer than Australia hoped but Nathan Lyon ended his agonising wait for a 400th Test victim in style on Saturday during a match-winning four-wicket haul that sent England crashing to a stinging Ashes defeat at the Gabba.
Plan to take off-side out of Australians was hatched in July, reveals India bowling coach Bharat Arun.
Saini limped off the field due to groin pain and was taken for the scans.
Warner has been racing to be fit for the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) Test
Warner swapped the superstar's face with his and posted a funny video on Instagram.
Australia batsman Marnus Labuschagne is looking forward to the return of David Warner for the third Test against India in Sydney as he believes the the hosts will benefit not just from his batting but also the 'terrific energy' he will bring to the field.
South Africa opener Dean Elgar was on Monday ruled out of the third Test against India as he suffered concussion after being hit by a bouncer from pacer Umesh Yadav.
It was his late father's dream to see Siraj play for the country in Tests and finally the dream was fulfilled on Saturday at the MCG.
While Kohli has slipped to 10th on the ICC rankings, the Indian great continues to hold a remarkable Test batting record. He has scored 27 Test centuries and 28 half-centuries and currently has a Test batting average of just under 50.
'If you look at Australia's batting line-up, it is far better than last time.'
Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Cheteshwar Pujara, Mohammed Shami and Ravindra Jadeja could do with a break, which will allow India to try out new players in the Caribbean.
'Yes, their team has now improved with the return of the experienced David Warner, Steve Smith and the likes of Marnus (Labuschagne), who has really done well for them in recent times. But last time too, their team was good but we played really some really good cricket to win. Looking forward to the challenge once again, it's going to be a great contest.'
Who do you think should be part of India's playing XI in the first Test against Australia?
Peter Handscomb was earlier this month left out of Australia's preliminary 26-man squad for their provisional white ball tour of England in September.
A complete list of players, who failed to attract any bid in the IPL 2021
With two days left, and Australia still 386 runs adrift of their score, India will fancy their chances of winning their first-ever Test series Down Under.
Khawaja to battle Head for openers' spot as Australia name squad for first two Tests.
Paine said Pucovski would open the batting if he was selected for the match
'He's shaping up all right at the moment so fingers crossed he'll be right'
After picking two wickets earlier, Bumrah capped an eventful day by facing 11 balls as the nightwatchman, ducking cleverly and blocking confidently to end with his wicket intact at stumps on Day 2.
The Australian government on Wednesday granted travel exemptions for Aaron Finch and his men, Cricket Australia (CA) said while announcing a 21-member squad for the team's first international tour since the coronavirus outbreak began.
New South Wales paceman Abbott and Queensland veteran Neser are the reserve quicks behind regulars Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and James Pattinson.
The left-handed batsman now has 497 points in the all-rounder rankings, while second-placed Jason Holder has 459 points.
Pacer Jhye Richardson picked up five wickets as Australia beat England by 275 runs in the day-night second Ashes Test at the Adelaide Oval on Monday to go 2-0 up in the five-match series.
Former India wicketkeeper-batsman Dinesh Karthik believes the time is ripe for Ravichandran Ashwin to make his first appearance of the series in he fourth Test at The Kia Oval, commencing Thursday.
Here we encapsulate all the sporting action from last week in this stunning photo feature.
England captain Joe Root defended his decision to bat first in the opening Ashes Test against Australia and stood by the selections in their bowling unit despite going down to a heavy nine-wicket defeat at the Gabba on Saturday.
Labuschagne said Australia were expecting a little more help from the fifth day pitch but credited India for hanging on for a remarkable draw.
Former England captain Michael Atherton believes the ICC should consider allowing more substitutions for injuries which require players to visit a hospital for treatment during a match amid the coronavirus pandemic. International cricket is set to resume after the coronavirus hiatus with England scheduled to host the West Indies team in a bio-secure environment for a proposed three-match series in July.
Pucovski rode his luck and Marnus Labuschagne showed resolve as the duo hit half-centuries to put Australia in a dominating position in a rain-curtailed opening day at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG).
Kohli gets 'Spirit of Cricket' gong; Stokes is ICC Cricketer of the Year.
Here is a complete list of players, who failed to attract any bid in the IPL 2022
Australia still searching for their best formula in ODIs, says Finch
During a podcast organised by inaugural IPL champions Rajasthan Royals, Steve Smith opened up about his unusual technique to New Zealand spinner Ish Sodhi. Smith said his off-stump stance helps him to leave the ball which are outside his line of sight.
Sohail and Asad Shafiq (80) put on 150 for the fifth wicket on a placid track at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium as Australia's bowlers toiled in the intense heat.
