Michael Clarke wants Ponting to score hundred, not Tendulka

All eyes are on Sachin Tendulkar, as he will be aiming to smash his historic 100th ton during the upcoming second Test between Australia and India. However, the Australian skipper, Michael Clarke is wishing for something entirely different, as he backed the veteran Ricky Ponting to hit a century in the second clash at Sydney Cricket Ground, starting from Tuesday. "The way Punter is batting at the moment, he is not far away from a big one. One thing I know about him is if he gets to 100, he won't be stopping there since he's got a very good record at the SCG. I know he loves playing here, so it wouldn't surprise me if he walked out and made a 100 in this Test,'' Clarke said ahead of the 100th Test match in Sydney.

The former Aussie skipper has a wonderful record at the SCG of scoring 1346 runs in 15 games – the most number of runs by any batsman at the venue. Ponting is in good form these days, as he scored half-centuries in both innings of the opening Test at Melbourne. However, the only problem is that he has been failing to convert his fifties into big innings, as his previous Test ton came against Pakistan almost a couple of years ago. While Clarke is pushing his ex-captain to fetch a hundred, he wished the Indian Little Master to score his elusive ton after the ongoing tour Down Under. "I hope his 100 doesn't come until the next series because I'd love to watch it on television. But he's been such a great player and certainly deserves all the credit he's received," added the 30-year-old skipper. The Kangaroos are currently one game up in the four-match Test series. They won the first game comprehensively by 122 runs, and are keen to make it 2-0 at Sydney. The Indian batting line-up failed terribly in the MCG encounter, and Clarke is expecting his bowlers to trouble the tourists yet again. He argued that since the Sydney wicket has something helpful for the bowlers, it will not be an easy outing for Tendulkar and other Indian willow-wielders.