HYDERABAD, India (AP) Australian skipper Ricky Ponting believes his team is equipped to handle Indian spinners, who are expected to pose a big threat to the tourists in the four-test series that begins Thursday.

Australia drew its only warm-up match Sunday against the Board President's XI where the touring team's vulnerability to spin was exposed by leg-spinner Piyush Chawla and left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha.

Nine wickets in Australia's first innings of the warmup game fell to the spinners but Ponting is unfazed going into the opening test.

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