He scored his first hundred, on debut in 2004, in India, a defining moment of his career but Michael Clarke has another one in front of him. He has to evade the ignominy of a 4-0 defeat. The past one made him, will the future one be the start of something that breaks himIJ
Before that though, he has to try and be a part of the team if his back allows. “I still have 24 hours, just need to make sure my treatment goes off well. I’ll take the call in the morning. At this stage there is still doubt of me pulling fit enough to play tomorrow but I’ve been given every opportunity. I’ll have plenty of treatment again today,” Clarke said at the pre-match press conference on Thursday.
‘Still doubt’ could well mean that Clarke might not be playing, that would mean vice-captain Shane Watson would don the skipper’s hat.
The Australian captain was also non-committal on his team combination for the final Test saying that they would take a call on the morning of the Test match. “We would announce the playing XI tomorrow”.
“It all depends on what is best for the team. We need to get the combination right. It’s about winning the Test here and heading back home with a win under our belt,” he
One man who could come in is Mitchell Johnson, who came to India as the experienced head in the bowling department but has not featured in a Test match yet on the tour. “Johnson is bowling well in the nets, he is bowling really fast. I know how much he loves the opportunity to bowl in the Test,” Clarke added.
After having had a torrid time in India so far, the Aussies want to finish on a high. “We know the conditions well, we know the opposition and we know the areas where we need to improve. So, we would like to leave home winning the last Test,” he added.
The other side of this coin says India flying high and Ishant Sharma, who turned up for the media conference from the Indian side. “The dressing room is really upbeat and we are taking a lot of confidence from the 3-0 lead that we have so far.”
He also made the point that every country has an advantage playing at home and the hosts have made good use there. “When we went to Australia and struggled there, we were criticised that we can’t play well overseas but now Australia aren’t able to play well here. It’s just that everyone enjoys home conditions,” the lanky lad from Delhi added.