A day after the shocking suspensionof four key players, Australian skipper Michael Clarke isconfident that there will no backlash against him from thedumped players, who, he says, understand the reasons for this"harsh" decision.
Vice-Captain Shane Watson, pacemen James Pattinson andMitchell Johnson and batsman Usman Khawaja were sensationallydropped from the team Monday for the third Test againstIndia for ignoring team management's order.
Watson returned home in a huff and is now contemplatinghis Test future, raising speculation of a revolt within thesquad.
"I don't think it will have any impact on my friendshipwith the four guys because I know I've got the respect ofthose guys and they know how much I respect them. That'sprobably why I feel comfortable fronting players on theseissues.
"I think it would be easy to walk away and let thingsslide. But they know how much I love playing for Australialike they do," Clarke was quoted as saying by the Australianmedia.
"They know how much I want this team to have success andachieve what I think we can achieve. And you know what? Theywant the same. There's only one way you get there. It takesthe whole team pushing in the same direction. This is notabout the individual player. The whole team sits on thislevel. These are our standards. If you're not hitting it,there's going to be consequences."
Clarke said making the presentation was not a big dealand the players should have provided the feedbacks.
"It wasn't a big ask. You let the team down, you let thehead coach down. That's unacceptable," he said.
The captain said unavailability of four players will be agood opportunity for others to prove their worth.
"It has huge impact on the team for the third Test match.
But it's why you pick a squad. It gives somebody else anopportunity. And that's the biggest risk in this game. Yougive somebody else an opportunity and you might never getanother chance," he said.