Ponting in Bangalore on Friday. (AFP)

Bangalore, Sept. 28: A kiss has done what Mahendra Singh Dhoni must be dying to do — unsettle Ricky Ponting.

A farmer-turned-realty-dealer from Whitefield — one of Bangalore’s infotech hotspots — planted a kiss on the Australian captain’s right cheek last night.

“Hey, what you doin’ mate!” the alarmed cricketer cried, trying to shake off Jayarama Reddy, as the flashbulbs popped.

But Reddy was not done. He asked Ponting, whose team clashes with Dhoni’s in the first one-dayer tomorrow, to turn so that he could kiss him on the other cheek.

The sozzled man was vying for the cricketer’s memorabilia at a charity event and had bid for bats and photographs.

A few minutes after the event — anchored by Mandira Bedi — began, Reddy declared that he would pay Rs 10,000 to be photographed with the Australian skipper. The promoters agreed.

The unsteady fan walked up to the dais and shook hands with Ponting. Next, he grabbed the captain’s shoulder with his left hand, apparently to pose for a picture. Then came the kiss.

Later, Reddy said he had done nothing wrong. “He is a great captain. Our Indian culture is to kiss him. In foreign, you know, they hug and kiss, but he refuses to hug Indians. I told him, you hug me, otherwise get lost,” he slurred.

Other than the peck, Reddy left his mark at the auction by becoming the highest bidder, at Rs 90,000, for Ponting’s bat. That gave him a chance to step on stage a second time.

This time, the captain took no chances, spreading his hands wide in defence. Host Bedi did the rest, coming in between the two. But Reddy only posed for a photo.

The event was part of the Run Ricky Run campaign, under which every run scored by Ponting in the ODI series will help pay for an underprivileged child’s school fees.

Ponting also released Innings with Ponting, his fourth book. The coffee-table tome is priced at Rs 10,000.