Baroda, Oct. 25: Struggling for a win after being in firm control is not what one normally associates with Australian cricket. With 63 runs required in five overs, the match should have been sewn up.

At the end of the day, the score line hardly mattered. "I was happy with the fact that we won," said a relieved Ponting after Australia subdued a charging India. "We played well enough to win.

"I would have been disappointed if we hadn’t crossed the line after having largely played well through the course of the match. This should be a good learning curve for a few players. It was good for Peter Siddle, who bowled the last over. He has never been in a position like that before."

Australia did not do well at the death in both departments and the target should have been in excess of 300 given they way they were going at one stage. Ponting agreed there was room for improvement in every area. "At one stage we thought we might score more than 292 but a few wickets slowed us down. Michael Hussey played an outstanding innings and the others did well too. Tim Paine and Cameron White played well. Of course there are things to work on before the next game."

Harbhajan Singh, during the course of his entertaining 49, crossed the 1,000-run mark. He also ensured the match was alive till the last over but Ponting noted the off-spinner did not take the game away but ran them close.

On the final over, the visiting skipped said: "I knew it will be an entertaining over. Things were in their favour in that last over after they scored 20 in the earlier one but a couple of good balls were needed and Siddle staying calm and composed helped us."

Ponting was happy for most of his team coming good. "We have a bit of work to do, heading in to game two. Shane Watson is one of our better finishers but he had finished his ten and we had to go to Siddle. Paine has not put a foot wrong ever since he came in."