Australia coach Mickey Arthur has warned Ricky Ponting that his place in the Test side is not safe.

Former captain Ponting has struggled for form since resigning from the post in March after Australia crashed out of the World Cup at the quarter-final stage.

South African Arthur said: "Nobody's guaranteed a start, nobody's got a privilege to play in the Australian cricket team. They've got to be producing the goods and giving us ammunition to play."

Despite Ponting's recent form, the 37-year-old is third on the all-time most Test runs list behind Indian duo Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar.

Australia face India in a four Test series, starting with the traditional Boxing Day match at the Melbourne Cricket Ground next Monday.