IF AUSTRALIA thought their only problems lay in their own dressing room, then they are sadly mistaken. Sachin Tendulkar might have missed out on a century yesterday but everything he did suggests he is ready to continue his love affair with Australian pitches. While Ricky Ponting heads towards his 37th birthday on Monday unsure whether father time has caught up with him, Tendulkar, 38, can be confident of yet another prosperous visit to these shores after a flawless start to the tour.

The batting maestro gave the small band of Indian fans at Manuka Oval almost everything they wanted to see. Their only disappointment came when team management denied them the rare opportunity to see a Tendulkar century in Canberra by retiring him during the tea break on 92. There will not be similar charity from India should Tendulkar be in a similar position during this summer's series when he will be aiming to complete his 100th international century after nine months stuck on 99.

And on the basis of this performance, it would not be folly to suggest it will happen in Melbourne. ''It [Australia] would be a great place to do it. The only thing I want to say, me and my teammates and all over the country, we don't wait for him too long, it's been a while,'' said Rohit Sharma, one of three Indians to make an unbeaten half-century.

''I hope he gets the 100th century in the first game itself.'' Tendulkar's unconquered 92 came off 132 balls during which he did not offer a chance nor were the local bowlers able to whiz one past his outside edge. His final act, a boundary against Victorian off-spinner Glenn Maxwell, served as a warning sign to the month ahead for Nathan Lyon, who in years gone by would have been preparing the Manuka wicket rather than claiming those of international batsmen.

Ominously for Australia, whose embattled batting line-up is spending this weekend packing their bags before heading back to school to learn how to bat again, Tendulkar and his senior colleagues Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman all enjoyed the ideal warm-up for the upcoming series. This was the star trio's first match in more than three weeks since the completion of India's three-Test series at home against the West Indies, so it would only be logical to conclude their best is yet to come this tour.

And as impressive as Test newcomer James Pattinson was against New Zealand, the Victorian youngster and his fellow bowlers will face a far more powerful adversary than the Black Caps. Admittedly, India has found a modest opponent for their opening fixture - a match without first-class status, played on a lifeless wicket and against an attack boasting just one international appearance between them.

But that is more the hosts' worry rather than India's as Cricket Australia could have assembled a stronger line-up had they not allowed this game to clash with the start of the Big Bash League. Laxman, like Tendulkar, was at ease for much of his stay though he did offer a chance at gully off the left-arm pace of Josh Lalor. He was unbeaten on 57 off 76 balls when he departed to give his teammates their turn for centre wicket practice.

Dravid, the only Indian champion to lose his wicket, was not as impressive as Tendulkar or Laxman but still batted for the best part of two hours to make a composed 45. Encouragingly for Australia, the extra bounce from South Australia's Jake Haberfield posed him the most problems while Maxwell also forced him to play and miss. That said, it was the circumstances of the match, more so than any probing by the home side's bowlers, which saw Dravid holing out trying to up the run rate against Cameron Boyce's leg-spin.