Former Australia captain Michael Clarke has backed Indian head coach Gautam Gambhir's aggressive style in the highly anticipated Border-Gavaskar Trophy. According to Clarke, the competitive edge that has been eroded by the teamwork fostered by franchise leagues such as the IPL may be rekindled by the aggressive mentality. He emphasized that in high-stakes international matches, players must put representing their nations ahead of their personal ties.
Clarke on Gambhir
Cricket experts and fans had differing opinions about Gambhir's scathing comments at the pre-series press conference. But in an interview with ESPN Cricinfo, Clarke commended Gambhir's strategy and linked it to India's recent Border-Gavaskar Trophy victories. He said that India's victories in the previous two series were largely due to this mindset, and he hoped Australia will follow suit in order to rekindle the intense competition.
"I think it becomes harder these days because you spend more time playing with opposition players. I think when I played or before the IPL, it was a lot easier, you can see each other as much, and you weren't in the same team. But I think there's no doubt. I think that's why India have had success in Australia the last couple of times. I think there's been a very clear line in the sand from all the players that when they step into this country. There are no friends on the field. Off the field, fine, but on the field, you're playing for your country. You're not playing in the same IPL team," Clarke said.
"I'd like to think Australia will have the same attitude, you know. It's not what you say. It's not about sledging, but it's what you do. It's your intent, it's your attitude. It's having your teammates back when required. So I'd be surprised if Australia weren't in the same situation. And I think that'll help make this a great series. I think it'll be competitive on the field, and you'll see Australia want to win and so do India," Clarke added.
Following taking over the post from Rahul Dravid, Gautam Gambhir has had a turbulent spell as head coach. Although he has presided over both significant wins and losses, India comes into this series under pressure after losing to New Zealand 3-0 at home in the Test series. Expectations for the team to recover with a strong showing in Australia were only raised by this loss.
For India, the series is extremely important since a win would increase their chances of making it to the World Test Championship final. India, who have won the Border-Gavaskar Trophy four times in a row, will try to continue to dominate under Gambhir's ferocious direction. In addition to raising India's spirits, Clarke thinks that taking an aggressive posture will serve as a reminder to players of the value of patriotism. Fans are anticipating a show of fervor and resolve that has characterized the Border-Gavaskar rivalry for decades as the match between the cricketing titans draws near.
