Aggression will be key to win, says Stuart Clarke

By Abhishek Roy, IANS

Bangalore : Aggression will be the key to beating India at home in the seven-match one-day series, said Australian fast bowler Stuart Clarke here Thursday.


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“This is my first tour of India and I am absolutely excited. Playing in India is tough because the conditions are harsh and the pitches are dead, best suited for batsmen,” the 31-year-old Clarke told IANS at the team hotel here.

“But we have to hold our nerves and play aggressively, which is the Australian way. Aggression will be the key to success on this tour against India,” he revealed.

Clarke added that the Indian team will be under tremendous pressure after winning the Twenty20 World Championships in South Africa and the onus will be on the home side to live up to the expectation of the fans.

“India would be under pressure and they will also miss some of the players who were a part of the Twenty20 team. We have put our Twenty20 failure behind and are starting afresh,” Clarke added.

Australia’s Twenty20 campaign ended with the semi-final loss to India. A brilliant 70 by Yuvraj Singh helped India beat the four-time World Cup champions in a thrilling encounter by 15 runs.

“The guys who were in the Twenty20 team are really talented and they are the future of Indian cricket. Guys like Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Yuvraj Singh are big hitters and I think the young bunch deserved to win the Twenty20 title,” said Clarke.

“Bowling on Indian pitches will be a real challenge for me. The crowd also plays a big role and you need to be lion hearted to come out as a winner away from home,” he said.

When asked who would be his target in the series, Clarke said: “It is no secret that every bowler in the world wants to see Sachin Tendulkar walking back to the pavilion.”

India take on Australia in the first ODI at the Chinnaswamy Stadium here Saturday.

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