Australian captain Michael Clarke on Friday sought to play mind-games ahead of the high-profile Test series against India, saying that opener Gautam Gambhir’s omission from the Test squad has come as a happy news for his bowlers.
Clarke said he expected a batsman of Gambhir’s calibre to be in the team and India will badly miss his experience.
“I expected him (Gambhir) to be in the Test team. He is a wonderful player and has played for India for a long time now. I think there are a few bowlers in our team who are happy he is not playing,” the Australian captain told the reporters on the eve of their second and final warm-up game against Gambhir-led India A.
Terming Gambhir as a “wonderful guy”, Clarke hoped that the left-hander will hit the straps soon and get back into the national reckoning.
“He is a wonderful guy and I really like him and I get along really well with him. If he scores runs, I’m sure he will get his chance with the Indian team again,” he said.
Australian teams over the years have been known to start mind-games prior to the series, which Steve Waugh had once famously termed as “mental disintegration” of the opponents but Clarke believes that the game is about on-field performances and not making statements.
“It’s not about what you say. It’s about what you do. As a player, as the Australian cricket team, that’s our goal. It’s no good making statements and comments and not backing them up. I’d rather want people to say less and do more, so that’s our goal. Perform well on the field, that’s all we want.”
