Ricky Ponting’s makeshift visit to the top of the batting order the six-wicket loss to India in Delhi may yet develop into something more lasting.

Having previously opened only once in his long career, against Zimbabwe at Harare in 1999, Ponting made 59 and looked at home alongside Shane Watson in painfully slow conditions at the Feroz Shah Kotla ground on Saturday.

Ponting’s contribution will give the selectors pause for thought ahead of the 2011 World Cup, also on the subcontinent.At the very least, Ponting indicated he would be likely to maintain the spot for the rest of this series, starting with Monday’s fourth match in Chandigarh.

"The reason I opened in the game was for team balance," Ponting said. "I’m obviously the most experienced player in our side and to put one of the other guys up to open the innings I thought would have been more of a challenge for them than it would be for me. If it looks like everyone’s fit and ready for the next game there’s probably every chance that I’ll open again."

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