ET BureauHe may not be playing, but he is still very much the talk in Melbourne. Michael Clarke, currently undergoing rehabilitation post his hamstring surgery, will be in the commentary box at the MCG on Boxing Day.
Looking forward to his new role while missing being on the park, Clarke spoke to Boria Majumdar about his determination to get fit in time for the World Cup, Steve Smith as Australia’s Test captain, and the significance of the Boxing Day Test. Excerpts from the interview:
How is the recuperation going?
The rehab is going perfectly to plan. I had surgery exactly a week earlier and I must say the progress has been very satisfactory since then. I have met the Australian physio and will be guided day to day by what he and my doctors tell me to do. But there’s no doubt that I am looking at the World Cup to get back on the park and that I will do everything possible in my powers to do so.
You come to Melbourne with a very different duty this time round: commentary. Are you excited?
Let me first say I would have loved to be out in the park playing for Australia. There’s no doubt I am excited by this opportunity of tellings viewers about my teammates, what their thought processes are, what they are planning and get the audience a little closer to the Australian team. The Boxing Day Test is a very special occasion and if I am not able to play I’d definitely want to commentate and be a part of the occasion.
Australia are already 2-0 up in the series and have played well in the moments that really matter. Is the team getting back to its best?
I think the boys have played really well. We have performed as a team and now have the momentum to go ahead and close the series. India, too, have done well in patches and at these times has shown how good a team they can be. This is why we can’t let up in intensity and need to be at our best at all times in this series. Except Mitchell Marsh who is out injured, all of my teammates are fit and that will add to the team's strength at the MCG. Test cricket is about winning sessions and playing the big moments well and we have been able to do that in this series so far.
There’s a debate going on that the Indians have been over-aggressive and have suffered as a result. Your thoughts?
I don’t think the Indians have crossed the line. They have tried to play good hard cricket and both teams have come hard at each other. At Adelaide, both teams matched each other on the pitch and in words and I don’t see that as a problem. It is not about words. Rather, it is about how good you play in the key moments. That’s where the Indians have been second-best so far. I don’t think they have been over-aggressive and that has affected their performance. It is a hard game out there and it is only natural a few words will be said. As long as the players don’t cross the line it is perfectly fine.
A word on Steve Smith? It could not have been easy to step up to the challenge. He's done well, though, so far.
Indeed he has. He captained very well in Brisbane and has stepped up really well. He has been in tremendous form of late and that has surely helped him come to terms with the job at hand.
A few of the Australian players -- Chris Rogers, Shane Watson, Brad Haddin -- haven’t been in the best of form. Do you think they need to be persisted with?
I have absolutely no doubt that’s the case. I have already said that each of these players bring a lot to the team and I’d really want each of them to be on the plane when we travel to England to play the Ashes next summer. All of them have done great things for Australia in the past and these few failures should take nothing away from their achievements.
A word on Virat Kohli. Do you think he has it in him to be a good Test captain?
He played brilliantly in Adelaide in the first Test. Scoring hundreds in each innings of a Test match is an exceptional feat and Virat did so as captain. It shows captaincy has not impacted his batting and I am sure he will be a very good Test captain for India in the future. He is a quality player and has done well in all formats of the game. That is a special quality and from what I have seen in Adelaide he does have the potential to be a very good leader.
How important is it for you to lead Australia on home soil in cricket’s biggest event?
There is absolutely no doubt that the World Cup is a huge tournament and that I am very keen to do well in it. Having said that, I don’t believe in rating a particular tournament or event over others. For example, the Ashes series in the summer is equally important to me. Also, I prepare in the very same manner for an India series in India like I do for the World Cup. I am not for once trying to say that the World Cup isn’t important. But personally my preparation has always been the same for key series like the Ashes, India etc.
Looking forward to his new role while missing being on the park, Clarke spoke to Boria Majumdar about his determination to get fit in time for the World Cup, Steve Smith as Australia’s Test captain, and the significance of the Boxing Day Test. Excerpts from the interview:
How is the recuperation going?
The rehab is going perfectly to plan. I had surgery exactly a week earlier and I must say the progress has been very satisfactory since then. I have met the Australian physio and will be guided day to day by what he and my doctors tell me to do. But there’s no doubt that I am looking at the World Cup to get back on the park and that I will do everything possible in my powers to do so.
You come to Melbourne with a very different duty this time round: commentary. Are you excited?
Let me first say I would have loved to be out in the park playing for Australia. There’s no doubt I am excited by this opportunity of tellings viewers about my teammates, what their thought processes are, what they are planning and get the audience a little closer to the Australian team. The Boxing Day Test is a very special occasion and if I am not able to play I’d definitely want to commentate and be a part of the occasion.
Australia are already 2-0 up in the series and have played well in the moments that really matter. Is the team getting back to its best?
I think the boys have played really well. We have performed as a team and now have the momentum to go ahead and close the series. India, too, have done well in patches and at these times has shown how good a team they can be. This is why we can’t let up in intensity and need to be at our best at all times in this series. Except Mitchell Marsh who is out injured, all of my teammates are fit and that will add to the team's strength at the MCG. Test cricket is about winning sessions and playing the big moments well and we have been able to do that in this series so far.
There’s a debate going on that the Indians have been over-aggressive and have suffered as a result. Your thoughts?
I don’t think the Indians have crossed the line. They have tried to play good hard cricket and both teams have come hard at each other. At Adelaide, both teams matched each other on the pitch and in words and I don’t see that as a problem. It is not about words. Rather, it is about how good you play in the key moments. That’s where the Indians have been second-best so far. I don’t think they have been over-aggressive and that has affected their performance. It is a hard game out there and it is only natural a few words will be said. As long as the players don’t cross the line it is perfectly fine.
A word on Steve Smith? It could not have been easy to step up to the challenge. He's done well, though, so far.
Indeed he has. He captained very well in Brisbane and has stepped up really well. He has been in tremendous form of late and that has surely helped him come to terms with the job at hand.
A few of the Australian players -- Chris Rogers, Shane Watson, Brad Haddin -- haven’t been in the best of form. Do you think they need to be persisted with?
I have absolutely no doubt that’s the case. I have already said that each of these players bring a lot to the team and I’d really want each of them to be on the plane when we travel to England to play the Ashes next summer. All of them have done great things for Australia in the past and these few failures should take nothing away from their achievements.
A word on Virat Kohli. Do you think he has it in him to be a good Test captain?
He played brilliantly in Adelaide in the first Test. Scoring hundreds in each innings of a Test match is an exceptional feat and Virat did so as captain. It shows captaincy has not impacted his batting and I am sure he will be a very good Test captain for India in the future. He is a quality player and has done well in all formats of the game. That is a special quality and from what I have seen in Adelaide he does have the potential to be a very good leader.
How important is it for you to lead Australia on home soil in cricket’s biggest event?
There is absolutely no doubt that the World Cup is a huge tournament and that I am very keen to do well in it. Having said that, I don’t believe in rating a particular tournament or event over others. For example, the Ashes series in the summer is equally important to me. Also, I prepare in the very same manner for an India series in India like I do for the World Cup. I am not for once trying to say that the World Cup isn’t important. But personally my preparation has always been the same for key series like the Ashes, India etc.
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