India have to be at their best to beat Australia: Michael Clarke

It is not an everyday tale to see India lose in their own backyard in the longest format of the game. A collapse of all sorts saw India lose the first Test against Australia at Pune by a margin of 333 runs. The defeat was embarrassing, but more importantly, it served as an alarm call for the Virat Kohli-led men. Former Australian skipper Michael Clarke believes just the same and reckons the hosts will have to be at their best if they wish to overhaul the mighty Aussies.

As per the recent quotes in News18, the former skipper noted that it is the first innings total that will dictate the terms of the match in Bengaluru. He cited the example of how India’s paltry 105 in the first Test was a precursor of the things to follow in the Test thereafter. He also added that had India batted first in the Pune Test, the result could have gone either way.

“In India, the first innings total is critical. If you get a good first innings score of 450 or more, it doesn’t matter who wins the toss. How you bat in the first innings, that dictates the game. So getting more runs in the first innings should be the focus for both teams. We have seen that in Pune, Australia made 265 which is a very good score on a tough wicket, India went on to make 105, so mainly the Test match was over after the first innings. Australia had a lead of 150 or more, it was always a tough task for India to chase in the second innings of a Test match,” quoted Clarke.

“Kohli is focused and ready for the next Test match. India will be tougher for Australia to beat in Bengaluru than in Pune. If India would’ve won toss and batted in Pune, I don’t know if result would’ve been the same,” he added further.

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Clarke believes the story at Bengaluru is not going to be much different. The team that bats first and sets up a big total will have a major say in the match. The wicket is bound to slow down over the five days of the match. Batting will get tougher and tougher as the match progresses. But, if the team India wants to turn the tables, they will have to be at their against the best of the Australian lineup.

“Bengaluru will be no different, the wicket will deteriorate over the five days, so the first two and a half days will be important. In subcontinent, it feels like the game is moving quite slowly over the first three days, so then the final two days when the wicket does deteriorate, the ball starts spinning more with inconsistent bounce and pace, then it starts troubling the batsmen,” Clarke said.

“Kohli is a tough character, very confident in his own ability. For me he’s the best in all formats. India need to combat four big players in the Australian team — (Steve) Smith, (David) Warner, (Mitchell) Starc and (Josh) Hazlewood. India now know they have to be at their best to beat Australia,” he added further.

The world cup winning skipper had a word of advise too for the Indian team. India needs to up their game in the fielding department and hold on to their catches. He also said that the likes of Ajinkya Rahane and Ishant Sharma deserve to be in the starting eleven of the Indian lineup for the next match. He concluded that he wishes to see a result in the series.

“Hang on to your catches otherwise Smith will make a hundred. Rahane is a terrific player, India will give him another opportunity. He’s earned that right. Ishant deserves to be in this team. He is a wonderful bowler, bowled really well against England. I’d like to see a winner and a loser in this series, I don’t want it to be a draw and I am sure both the teams will play aggressive cricket and there will be results,” Michael Clarke concluded.