Ponting outlines Australia worries as Proteas loom

A "shocked" Ricky Ponting has praised India's resilient squad after they re-wrote the history books to beat Australia at the Gabba and win the Vodafone Test series 2-1.

And while it's set to be a bitter pill to swallow for Australia, Ponting says he does not see a massive overhaul to Tim Paine's side ahead of their next assignment in South Africa next month.

India breached Australia's fortress in Brisbane, a place where they last lost in 1988, pulling off a stunning three-wicket win with another rear guard, gutsy final-day display.

Ponting had predicted India's will to wane on the final day, but the likes of Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara and player of the match Rishabh Pant had other ideas to chase down 328 and break another Gabba record.

"I'm quite shocked that Australia weren't quite good enough to win this series," Ponting told cricket.com.au.

"Considering everything the Indian cricket team has been through in the last five or six weeks, with the captain leaving, all the injuries they've had – they've been through 20 players – (Australia) have been at full-strength all bar Davey (Warner) missing early on, so it's really hard to comprehend.

"But having been there you can see how it's happened, because (of) how resilient they've been.

"They've played really good, tough, hard Test match cricket day-in and day-out and won all the big key moments through the series.

"That's been the difference between the two teams; India have won all the big moments in every Test match and Australia have fallen short."

Excluding the horror hour on day three in Adelaide, where they were bowled out for their lowest Test score of 36, India dominated Australia for most of the series.

And that's without their full-time captain Virat Kohli in Test two to four, and without their first – and perhaps second – choice bowling attack due to injury, as the visitors blooded five debutants against an Australia side that entered the series as the ICC's top-ranked team.

Stand-in skipper Ajinkya Rahane also failed to win a toss.

Ponting says all the setbacks India had to deal with shows they are "up for a fight" and the depth of Indian cricket runs deep.

"Washington Sundar looked like he had played 50 Test matches through the course of this game and never looked out of place," Ponting said.

"Shardul Thakur was the same in his second Test match, picked up seven wickets and scored 60-odd handy runs in the first innings.

"I've been around the IPL a long time so I know the talent that they do have in India, but when you've got to step up on a big stage in a Test match against Australia it's a different story.

"But they've done it, they've done it really well and they thoroughly deserve to win the series."

While India will be celebrating the unlikeliest of wins, Australia will be rueing missed opportunities.

In both Sydney and Brisbane, the hosts had a chance to bowl India out with an all-round attack considered the best in the world.

But across 228 overs in the fourth innings of the SCG and the Gabba, Australia managed just 12 wickets.

And to make matters worse for Paine's side, it came against a team weaker than an 'A' side in Brisbane, according to Ponting.

"The cold hard facts of it are pretty much that was the India A team that played this Test match and (India) still won," he said.

"That's a real concern for Australia. I think we gave Australia the benefit of the doubt the last time India were out here because Warner and (Steve) Smith weren't there.

"But this time, Australia's at full strength and India are on the bones of their squad – they're playing net bowlers in Test matches and they're still winning. That's the worry for Australia.

"It's probably not even (India's) second-picked team because you think of Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Ishant Sharma and those guys who didn't even make it out here. Rohit Sharma turns up for the last two Test matches only.

"We're probably digging deeper than even an Indian A team and they've still been good enough to win two Test matches here in Australia, and good enough to win one in Brisbane, which just doesn't happen.

"You can't take anything away from them, they've been awesome.

"I'm sure it's a pretty bitter pill to swallow for Justin (Langer, Australia coach) and the boys, to dominate Sydney like they did and not win and be in control of Brisbane for the majority of the game and then lose, I reckon it's going to sting, this one."

Despite Australia's harrowing series loss, Ponting expects the same players to be picked for next month's three-Test tour of South Africa, saying now is not the time for an overhaul.

"Coming into the series they were the No.1-ranked Test team in the world," Ponting said. "They've been doing a lot of things right.

"There's no need for any panic but they've got to find a way to play better cricket.

"I can't see how any personnel change to that side is going to change much.

"There might be some talk about Matthew Wade but every other base I think they've got the best players in those positions, it's just about those guys playing better.

"I'm sure that will happen. I think we'll see a pretty quick response from this bunch of players.

"They go to South Africa next, it's never easy over there but you've got to respond – that's what good teams do.

"And if they want to be the No.1 team in the world then they're going to have to bounce back pretty quickly."

Vodafone Test Series v India 2020-21

Australia Test squad: Tim Paine (c), Sean Abbott, Pat Cummins, Cameron Green, Marcus Harris, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Moises Henriques, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Michael Neser, James Pattinson, Will Pucovski, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Mitchell Swepson, Matthew Wade, David Warner

India Test squad: Ajinkya Rahane (captain), Rohit Sharma (vice-captain), Mayank Agarwal, Prithvi Shaw, Cheteshwar Pujara, Hanuma Vihari, Shubman Gill, Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Rishabh Pant (wk), Jasprit Bumrah, Navdeep Saini, Kuldeep Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, R Ashwin, Mohammed Siraj, Shardul Thakur, T Natarajan

First Test: Australia won by eight wickets

Second Test: India won by eight wickets

Third Test: Match drawn

Fourth Test: India won by three wickets