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Australia captain Michael Clarke with the Border-Gavaskar trophy, in Adelaide, on Saturday |
Calcutta: Right preparation and arrival of new players were key factors behind Australia’s success in the recently concluded Test series, according to skipper Michael Clarke.
“One simple word sums up the reason why we dominated a series against some of the best players in the world — preparation. Our training has been unbelievable. We trained so hard I am not surprised we achieved such success given all the work we’ve put in,” Clarke wrote in his column for the Herald Sun.
Clarke said his team got the reward for the rigorous training and beating India, who were No. 1 in the world just a few months back, was a matter of immense pride.
“So to be rewarded for all that effort by beating India 4-0 when they were the No.1 side in the world just a few months ago is something all the guys can be immensely proud of.”
Clarke was all praise for the domestic first-class cricket that developed many new talents recently .
“One of the most pleasing aspects of our performance has been the arrival of so many new players. Since I first took over as captain filling in for Ricky Ponting a little over a year ago we have had 10 new players wear the baggy green cap.
“This is exciting not only for the players involved but the whole of Australian cricket, to see such talent being developed and promoted through the first-class system.”
While the captain lauded the efforts of the senior players, he was also eager to identify new players for future.
“It’s great to see some of our senior players respond by stepping up and leading the way this summer. We now need to make the most of our new talent by identifying players of the future and really look after them as part of a squad. If we show faith in these young guys then they will reward us down the track.”
Clarke was happy that those who were chosen as replacements for injured players did their jobs perfectly.
“There were long-term injuries to key players and yet those chosen to fill their spots stepped up seamlessly. That is because the emphasis is all on the success of the team, everyone doing their role. Some guys might not have always had the most spectacular figures but they were vital to our success by maintaining pressure.”
Despite thrashing India in the Test series, Clarke felt their job was far from over and they needed to go a long way to improve their rankings. “The reality is that despite our strong win over India, we are still ranked No. 4 in the world. This shows how much work we still need to do but there is no question we have taken a major step forward,” he maintained.
“Talk has now turned to the tour of the West Indies in March and April but that’s premature. Our summer is far from finished. If we can clean up in the Twenty20 matches against India this week and then win the one-day series against India and Sri Lanka it will turn a good summer into a great summer.”
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