Melbourne, Dec 25: Australian skipper Michael Clarke is unfazed by the widely held opinion that his side are underdogs for the home Test series against India.
At the press conference ahead of the Boxing Day Test, Clarke insisted the hosts were well prepared to take on India and expressed faith in the side given to him.
On Australia’s playing XI for the Boxing Day Test
I'm confident we've got the best eleven to help us win this first Test in these conditions. I can use [Michael] Hussey, [Ricky] Ponting and myself to bowl a few overs. David Warner can bowl leg-spinners too. We've got the right XI to give ourselves a chance to win this Test.
On the selection of Ben Hilfenhaus over Mitchell Starc
Hilf's [Hilfenhaus] endurance is a factor in his promotion. I think it plays a part, definitely. He's a very good new-ball bowler; he can bowl long spells and he's had success against India as well. So there are a few reasons why we decided to go with him.
Mitch [Starc] is obviously disappointed; he's got an enormous amount of talent. He's quite tall, fast and can swing the ball back into the right-hander. He's just got to keep working hard at his game.
On the two young bowlers, James Pattinson and Nathan Lyon
Patto [Pattinson] is very important. As we've seen over the past couple of Tests, he's come on in leaps and bounds. He bowls with good pace, can swing the ball and he's only as important as the other guys around him. As for Nathan Lyon, I don't think he needs counselling. He's a wonderful talent and he’s got to do things his way. We have got to make sure we bowl Nathan at the right times, set the right fields to give him a little bit of protection and then attack when it's time to attack.
On the importance of the toss at the MCG
My favourite thing to do when we win the toss is always bat. But you can't make that decision unless you see the conditions on the day of the toss. I'll wait and see what the wicket is like, see what the overhead conditions are like. I have no concerns if we bat first on that wicket. If there's a bit of movement, I'm confident we're ready for it. It's important we play our natural game if we bat first. I think you must have the confidence to back your own ability. We've done plenty of work, so [if the batsmen stumble], it's not from lack of training.
On countering the seam and spin of the Indian bowlers
I make no bones about it; we've had extra [preparation] time as a batting unit because we needed to get better facing the new ball. We've done the work, though; that's all I can ask from the boys. It'd make every single one of us very pleased and proud if we can play the seaming ball well, something we've done in periods. The moving ball, whether it's spin or swing, is the hardest to face as a batsman, no matter who it's against. English conditions probably allow that to happen more than Australian conditions, but in saying that, whatever surface we get will be the same for both teams.
On the plans to counter R Ashwin’s variations
We've seen a fair bit of Ashwin, not too much in Test but in one-day cricket. He's very talented bowler, gets a lot of bounce, can spin the ball and has got a doosra so he can spin it the other way as well. We've looked at plenty of his footage, we know he's an important part of the team and we have to play him well to have success in this series.
On whether he’s made a pact with his Indian counterpart to have a controversy-free series
I don't think we need to meet MS [Dhoni] beforehand in order to ensure relations don't break down during the series; I think both teams understand where we're at. The relationship between the Aussie and Indian team couldn't be stronger. We all understand there's a fine line you can go to but can't cross. I guarantee nobody in the Australian team will cross that. If they do, there'll be punishments from the ICC but also from Cricket Australia.
On the possibility of Sachin Tendulkar scoring his hundredth ton in Australia
That's certainly a prospect. I hope that doesn't happen. I hope he scores it in his next series. He's been an unbelievable player for such a long period of time. I really enjoy watching him bat. If he does score his hundredth century, he deserves every bit of credit and applause. I think it's going to be a great crowd at this Test match, watching him and supporting him. I wish him well but in a perfect world, I'd like Sachin to score his hundredth century in the next series India play.
On his goals as Australia’s captain
My goals are no different [from those during] any [other] series I've played. I want to go out there, lead from the front and make sure I'm performing with the bat. But most importantly, I want Australian cricket to continue to head in the right direction. I want us to play some good cricket.
On being a relatively low profile captain as compared with Ricky Ponting
I'm not that concerned [about that]. It's about scoring runs and winning games. That's my job, that's what I'm trying to do. I hope I've earned a bit of respect. I've played 70-odd Test matches and scored a few hundreds for my country so I hope there's a bit of respect there already.
