Australian captain Ricky Ponting has backed his deputy Adam Gilchrist to bust out of his mini-form slump in today's one-day match against India in Vadodara.

The hard-hitting opener, who scored a match-winning 149 in this year's World Cup final in the West Indies, has failed to fire in the opening four matches of the current one-day series in India, posting scores of 12, 0, 29 and 18.

His low returns have largely escaped scrutiny because of the attention on Brad Hodge's lean run, leaving the likes of Matthew Hayden, Andrew Symonds and Michael Clarke to keep the scoreboard ticking over for the tourists.

Ponting expected Gilchrist to bounce back at the IPCL Sports Ground with the match starting at 9am (1330 AEST).

"I thought he has looked good in the last couple of games he has probably not scored the runs that he would have liked to but in Chandigarh he looked pretty good and in Hyderabad I thought he started his innings very well there," Ponting said.

"He is that sort of a player Gilly sometimes he can go out and not look very good and all of a sudden click into gear and score a hundred in no time.

"And other times he can go out look a million dollars and not make many runs, that is the sort of player he is and the type of player he has been throughout his career.

"I am happy with where he is at, at the moment and hopefully it is his day (today)."

The Australians are expected to field the same XI which lost game four on Monday for the clash to be played out in furnace-like conditions.

The weather bureau is predicting temperatures in the high 30s and with very high humidity as well.

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