Inspired by Tendulkar, Ponting wants to keep going

The 36-year-old Ponting conceded that he did not have much time left in the game and would quit as soon as he considers himself incapable of improvement.

Tendulkar and Dravid, both 38, have been going strong with the bat defying age, but Ponting has been under pressure following a string of low scores recently.

But the right-hander came good with a half century in the second innings of the second Test against South Africa which Australia won by two wickets last year.

Ponting said Tendulkar and Dravid's longevity showed he could also go on at the top level.

"I feel there's enough there to want to keep working hard. Having spoken to a lot of the other guys that have retired in the last few years, I was captain when (Justin) Langer, (Adam) Gilchrist, (Shane) Warne and all those guys stood down, so I know the things that were going through their minds," Ponting said.

"What they said about it was they just didn't have the drive or desire to work as hard as they needed to work to get their games back on track again. With me, there's no doubting that at all," he explained.

"I'll continue to do that but there's only a certain amount of time I can keep that going for as well. If it is that I've reached a point where I can't get better then it might be time," Ponting said.

Ponting said he would consider quitting if he is not satisfied with his performance.
"If I keep doing all the work that I'm doing and then not getting the results then maybe it's time. But at the moment I don't feel that time is here just yet," he said.

Ponting said he could understand the criticism directed at him in the past one year.
"I don't have to ask questions to know I have to make runs," Ponting said.

"We're in a professional game and if you're not making runs you'll arrive home and you'll answer questions that I've been answering the last few weeks, that's just part and parcel of what we do.

"I totally understand why I'm being asked the questions I'm being asked, but by the same token I believe I'm good enough, one, to be in the team and I'm good enough to win games for Australia. Hopefully in the next little bit I can start doing that again," he added.