Former Australian captain Ricky Ponting scored a sparkling 134 against India, said he hung in there because he had "hunger" to do well at the international level despite being under enormous pressure.
"I want to give myself the best chance, taking Australia from No 5 to top of the tree where we deserve to be," he said.
Quizzed whether another veteran Jacques Kallis' 41st Test ton yesterday spurred him to do well, pat came a sarcastic reply, "If I have to get inspired by what's happening in other side of the world, I wouldn't be playing."
"It's amazing when you have a lean trot how little things creep into your head and come in between what you're trying to do," he said.
Ponting also stated that there is still a lot of work that needs to be done and he can't just sit back and rest on his laurels.
"It's amazing what confidence can do to you. But it's not about getting carried away. There are certain things I have to keep working on. There's second innings in this match. There is Perth and Adelaide, where we both (Michael Clarke) have had reasonable success. But you can't afford to look that far.
It's the next ball, the next time when you get a chance to bat."
Ponting said a happy dressing room always helps in raising the level of performance.
