The Indian Premier League may be the flavour of the summer. But soon after the monsoon sets in, India's cricketers will resume their challenges of facing formidable oppositions in overseas conditions. Former Australia captain Michael Clarke feels Virat Kohli's men can stretch both England and Australia in their backyards later this year.
“I think if India and Australia have their players fully fit it will end up being an unbelievable series. There’s no doubt that losing [Steve] Smith, [David] Warner and [Cameron] Bancroft is going to hurt Australia. But I would hate to see that if India do have success in Australia, it being taken away due to the absence of the three players,” Clarke said during the release of Eleven Gods and A Billion Indians , a book authored by Boria Majumdar.
“I certainly think that they are in for a great chance to win in England as well. If India can beat England in England, they go to Australia with so much confidence. Australia is under pressure at the moment with everything that has happened. They need to find a way and start to rebuild really quickly because it is a massive series considering we have never lost to India in Australia.”
The function saw the author discussing various aspects of Indian cricket with Clarke, legendary batsman Sachin Tendulkar, India coach Ravi Shastri and India's white-ball vice-captain Rohit Sharma. While Tendulkar on the eve of his 45th birthday recalled some of the tales during his glittering playing career, Shastri oozed confidence that India can take on any opposition in all conditions.
Shastri felt India will be better off by the time the five-Test series starts in England in August. “We have tried get into position where we get in early and we play some matches. We play some one-day cricket before the first Test match. You kick off the one-day games around July 1 and the first Test starts August 1. Gives us that much more time,” Shastri said.
