Former Australia skipper Michael Clarke, while acknowledging India’s ability to stage a comeback in the second Test in Bengaluru, opined that the hosts have to be at their best to have any hopes of levelling the series, India Today reported.
The 35-year-old, also warned India against dropping any more catches like in the first Test which saw Australia skipper Steve Smith get three lifelines before he scored a hundred and took the game completely out of India’s hands in the Pune Test.
“Hang on to your catches otherwise Smith will make a hundred,” Clarke said. “India need to combat four big players in the Australian team – [Steve] Smith, [David] Warner, [Mitchell] Starc and [Josh] Hazlewood. India now know they have to be at their best to beat Australia,” he said.
Clarke, though, is aware of India’s ability to come back hard at the visitors in the second Test.
“India will be tougher for Australia to beat in Bengaluru than in Pune. If India would’ve won toss and batted in Pune, I don’t know if result would’ve been the same,” Australia’s World Cup winning captain said. “In India, the first innings total is critical. If you get a good first innings score of 450 or more, it doesn’t matter who wins the toss. How you bat in the first innings, that dictates the game,” he added.
On the Pune Test, Clarke said that the result was a forgone conclusion after India’s 11/7 collapse in the first innings, “We have seen that in Pune, Australia made 265 which is a very good score on a tough wicket, India went on to make 105, so mainly the Test match was over after the first innings. Australia had a lead of 150 or more, it was always a tough task for India to chase in the second innings of a Test match,” Clarke said.
Clarke, who was the captain when Australia were whitewashed 0-4 by India in 2013, backed under-fire cricketers Ajinkya Rahane and Ishant Sharma.
Earlier, India coach Anil Kumble also threw his weight behind the Mumbai batsman, who has been out of sorts in his few Tests, “Rahane is a terrific player, India will give him another opportunity. He’s earned that right. Ishant deserves to be in this team. He is a wonderful bowler, bowled really well against England,” Clarke said.
