Ricky Ponting says his team have learnt from their mistakes and it's "absolutely possible" Australia can regain the Ashes with a 5-0 sweep this summer.
But Ponting, who met with Cricket Australia officials in Melbourne on Monday to map out preparations for the Ashes series, is undaunted.
The skipper gave his No.6 batsman Marcus North (36 runs at 9 against Pakistan) his full backing and says exciting young leg-spinner Steve Smith, who made his Test debut last month, must wait his turn behind regular No.1 spinner Nathan Hauritz.
Australia play two Tests in India in October which isn't an ideal preparation for the Ashes which starts in Brisbane on November 25.
Ponting, who expects Hauritz to be fit for the India tour after recovering from a foot injury, says winning in India will give his side a confidence boost even if the conditions will be totally different to the Gabba.
"It's absolutely possible. There's no reason why not," Ponting told reporters at the MCG when asked about a 5-0 Ashes sweep.
"It's all in our hands. It's how well we play and how well we take charge of different situations.
"... We've learnt from a lot of the mistakes that we've made.
"There's no doubt we made some mistakes in the last Ashes series in England that probably at the end of the day cost us the series.
"We know now that we're a more experienced and probably a better team now than we were then.
Smith, 21, made his debut in the two-Test series against Pakistan in England in July, taking a combined 3-82 and hitting a sparkling 77 at Headingley.
Ponting says Australia may choose to play only one spinner in Bangalore and Mohali, where the pitches aren't expected to favour the slow bowlers as much as other Indian tracks.
But Smith might be thrust into an Ashes role alongside Hauritz in Adelaide and Sydney, Ponting suggested.
The skipper described North, who boasts four centuries in 17 Tests, as a classy player who must work on his consistency.
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