Ponting reveals Aussie success mantra

The secret of continued success on the field is that the players treat themselves as the second best team, says the Aussie captain.

The secret of Australia's continued success on the cricket field lay in the fact that the players treated themselves as the second best team in the world, captain Ricky Ponting said on Thursday.

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When preparing for a match or a tournament, the team considered itself the number two team, which needed to get better, Ponting said.

According to the two-time World Cup winning skipper, "We must never be happy with what we have achieved and try as hard as anybody else."

The Australian team did not set itself any targets when it went out on the field as they did not want to put any restrictions on themselves regarding the total.

"We never restrict ourselves because when you put restrictions on yourself, you cannot achieve great things," the Tasmanian said.

The trials and tribulations in Indian cricket did not escape Ponting's attention.

"I don't really know....India is playing under a lot of mental pressure. We must learn how to cope with it."

The respect Ponting had for Sachin Tendulkar also came through, as the Mumbai batsman was described as one of the all-time greats.

"He is the best batsman I have seen and I am trying to be as good as him."

Ponting was speaking at a function announcing a scheme through which every run that he will score in one-day internationals throughout the year will help get underprivileged children to school.