Ricky Ponting admitted that he feared suspension when he used his part-time bowlers to speed up the over-rate in Nagpur.

The Australian skipper had come under sever criticism when he pressed into service some of his part-time bowlers when Indian were in a precarious position on the penultimate day of the fourth and final Test.

MS Dhoni and Harbhajan Singh rode took full toll and blazed away to a match winning 108 run partnership.

"Never in any game I play do I want to miss the chance to represent Australia," said Ponting, who had so far maintained he never thought about his suspension when he held back his strike bowlers.

"I don't want to be reported on the cricket field and I don't want to miss a game. So those things taken into account probably gives you a reason why I made the decision I made," said the Australia skipper who faced a barrage of criticism for using part-timers and allowing India to grab the initiative in the last Test.

Ponting claimed there had to be another reason for the slow rates that cost him so dearly, and that led to an ICC fine.

"We speak about it at every team meeting. I've told the bowlers, the whole team, for a couple of years now that if we keep going the way we are, there's going to be some time or moment where it's really going to come back and hurt us or bite us," Ponting told ABC Radio.

"I'm not saying that's right now, but there have been other times where we've had to do that.

"I remember the Perth Test last summer (was) almost exactly the same. We got down to eight or nine overs down there as well. So it absolutely can hurt you."

When asked about his captaincy style, much more governing by consensus than making autocratic decisions, Ponting was unconvinced his consultations and adjustments were the cause of the over-rate problem. "I do like to consult with bowlers, whether it be between bowlers or whether it be a couple of overs in or whatever, but that might be 30 seconds in an over. That doesn't equate to nine overs down," Ponting said.

"Nine overs is 35 minutes play. That's a lot of time lost, so we have to look at every possible way we can to ensure we don't get to an unacceptable level.

"Nine overs to me is totally unacceptable. So there's a lesson in it for everyone." Ponting also said there was a need to lower expectations from his team, though he said he was happy with the progress of the team in transition.

"Up until right at this point I'd been pretty happy with how things have been coming along," Ponting said.

"The expectations of all of us probably have to go down slightly when you lose some of the great players we've lost, but I still expect a certain level of play from the Australian team.

"We've all learned, particularly the younger guys, about how high that level has to be if you want to win Tests series."