MARK Taylor reckons Ricky Ponting's career is on the skids. Michael Clarke vehemently disagrees.

Taylor told India's DNA magazine that Ponting is still world-class but "not getting any better" leading into the Border-Gavaskar series. The first Test starts at Mohali's PCA Stadium on Friday with Ponting desperate to arrest a 12-month slide that's coincided with the resurrection of Sachin Tendulkar.

While the 37-year-old Little Master has racked up six Test hundreds at the colossal average of 81.84 in the last year, the 35-year-old Ponting has cracked just one ton at 40.05.

Inside the Indian camp, Harbhajan Singh was taken to hospital for an MRI on a sprained ankle. The Australians believe Harbhajan's insatiable appetite to beat them, while simultaneously driving them nuts with his confrontational on-field demeanour, will ensure he plays a Test in which the man-on-man battle between Ponting and Tendulkar will be a crucial sub-plot.

When flying, the senior statesmen of each team can take the dressingroom with them. They've amassed more Test runs than any other batsmen in history, 13,837 and 12,026 respectively.

"He [Ponting] is not getting any better," Taylor told DNA. "He may no longer be the batsman he was in his late 20s but he is still a very good batsman. Ponting's best is behind him but he is still capable of scoring big hundreds.

"I think Sachin has had a rebirth. He's really batting at his best and that can be a sort of inspiration for Ponting."

Clarke said: "The nest six to eight months will be as big as you've ever seen from Ricky Ponting. He's as keen as mustard to do well. He's really looking forward to the start of these Tests.

"Ricky has played 150 Test matches, there's so much experience and knowledge.

"I meant it when I said it I wouldn't be surprised if this is the best 12 months of Ricky's career."

Taylor claimed the captaincy was harming Ponting's chances of threatening Tendulkar's Test run tally and world-record 48 centuries. Ponting has 39 Test hundreds. Australia's skipper was closing fast on both benchmarks a year ago.

"I think Ponting's focus has moved a little bit away from his personal milestones," Taylor said.

"In that sense, Sachin is fortunate. He does not have to worry about captaincy.

"That is probably the reason why he is making all those hundreds."

Originally published as Ponting past his best - Taylor