It was unacceptable and disappointing for Michael Clarke after Australia suffered their worst-ever defeat to India on Tuesday. A visibly angry Clarke said he was not too pleased with the team’s performance, more so, with the batsmen failing in the first innings not once but twice.
“I don’t want to take any credit away from India. They played very well on Monday. They showed again how to bat in these conditions. Our batting has been not upto the mark in the first two Tests. I’m more concerned about our first innings performances than our second innings, mainly because we won both tosses and the wicket has been at its best both times to bat and 237 is unacceptable,” he said after the match.
Clarke, who failed in the second innings of the match, said they have to do a lot of hard work to make a comeback in the remaining two Tests. “We’re fortunate to have eight or nine days before the third Test. We’ve got a lot of work to do,” he added. The Australian skipper said it was always tough when a team loses. “At the end of the day our performances in the two Tests have been poor, certainly nowhere near the standard we are trying to set as an Australian team. There is plenty of people that not only watch us on TV but fly around the world to support us. We’ve let them down,” he fumed.
He said it’s up to the team to get better in the next two Tests. “It’s about what we can do to get better. We’ve got nine days to do everything in our power to get better. As long as we learn from the losses, it’s good.”
Although skills play a big part on these type of pitches but the only way to get better is keep working. “Skill plays a part but the only way you get better is by working at it, hard work, dedication and the will to get better. We’ve dropped catches to let the bowlers down.”
On whether he would up in the order, Clarke had this to say: “I think now in these conditions I have to bat higher. I’ve got nine days to work it out.”
Patience, according to Clarke, plays a huge part. “To work out what is the right way to score runs in these conditions is crucial. You do the work at the start of your innings and get the reward at the end of your innings. At the moment our shot selection has been below par and that hurts us.”