Australia captain Michael Clarke felt Adelaide would be a tough test for his boys against India as the two teams gear up for the fourth and the final Test at the Adelaide Oval starting tomorrow.
Australia captain Michael Clarke felt Adelaide would be a tough test for his boys against India as the two teams gear up for the fourth and the final Test at the Adelaide Oval starting tomorrow. "Test cricket is never easy despite what might look like comfortable victories in the first three Tests, and I expect Adelaide to be the toughest of the lot, regardless of the series scoreline. Adelaide Oval usually presents a beautiful batting wicket and it traditionally lacks the bounce and sideways movement of other pitches around the country," he said.
Michael Clarke
Clarke said the Indians would feel at home at the Adelaide Oval, where the visitors have remained unbeaten in nearly 12 years. "In short, this is likely to be the closest to home conditions India will experience on this tour, which means it is going to be tough work for our bowlers," he said.
Chance for India
"This is highlighted by the fact we haven't beaten India in Adelaide for a dozen years. When India were last here four years ago, the Test was drawn. And four years before that we scored 556 in our first innings and lost the match against their powerful batting line-up," he said. The captain is looking for a 4-0 whitewash against India. Clarke said anything less than that would be a disappointment for the Australians. "We are thinking one thing -- whitewash. Anything less than a 4-0 defeat of this powerful Indian team will be a disappointment to all of us," Clarke wrote in his column in The Herald Sun.
Great satisfaction
"There was great satisfaction with clinching the series in Perth. It was a fine achievement to beat a side ranked second in the world when the series started," he said. Clarke said that despite the Perth win, the job is not yet done. "This is something all the guys can be proud of... Having dragged ourselves up after a disappointing loss to New Zealand in Hobart little more than a month ago, the last thing we want to do is stumble again. There has been too much of that in the recent past," he said.
"Some of our performances have been very good. The record run chase against South Africa in Johannesburg in November is in the forefront of my mind. But that followed the Test in Cape Town when we threw away a winning position by being bowled out for 47. That still hurts," he said.
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