Australia captain Ricky Ponting may be struggling to cope with the demands of a long summer in the spotlight and a hectic schedule, according to his deputy Adam Gilchrist.
Ponting averages just over 10 with the bat in the current Tri-Series with India and Sri Lanka.
"I am sure he, like all of us, will have been worn down by a lot of the focus and a lot of the issues that have been around," Gilchrist told reporters.
"We seem to have jumped from one thing to another, whether they be highly controversial or just issues that need to be dealt with," added Gilchrist, who made a century to lead Australia to victory over Sri Lanka in Perth on Friday.
"Things like the Pakistan tour hanging around, the IPL (Indian Premier League), the Indian test series and all the issues there in the (Harbhajan Singh) hearing.
"He has had to take the brunt of it and I think we have got to acknowledge that he does that and stands up and wants to do it, that is his job."
Gilchrist, who is retiring from international cricket after the tournament, is not concerned about Ponting's form in the long term.
"He is still running the team beautifully, captaining. Still very much Ricky Ponting," Gilchrist said. "We have got to rally around him and keep him going but he is a class act and he will be fine."
