Tough challenge for bowlers: Clarke

December 23, 2011 11:16 am | Updated July 29, 2016 04:21 pm IST - Melbourne

HUGE EXPECTATIONS: Sachin Tendulkar, sweating it out at a practice session at the MCG on Friday, is aware of the cricketing world's wait for his 100th international century.

HUGE EXPECTATIONS: Sachin Tendulkar, sweating it out at a practice session at the MCG on Friday, is aware of the cricketing world's wait for his 100th international century.

Australia captain Michael Clarke conceded that his side's young bowling attack would face a tough challenge against the star-studded and experienced Indian batting in the Test series starting here on December 26.

“The sheer weight of runs scored by the Indian top order over the years indicates that our bowling group is in for a tough challenge, but we are confident we've identified a few areas where we can have impact,” Clarke said.

“The experience and class of India against the talent and energy of this exciting Australian team should make for a thrilling contest for the 75,000 people in the stands and the millions more watching around the world.

“There's also the issue of Sachin Tendulkar and his 100th international century, which has been a huge talking point in India and around the cricketing world,” said the Australian captain.

Clarke feels that the visiting bowling attack will lose sheen if strike bowler Zaheer Khan is not fully fit.

Injury worries

“The Indians have struggled with a few injuries to their bowling attack, and they will need Zaheer Khan to be fit otherwise there will be a lot of pressure on the other Indian bowlers. As for our own attack, we will be assessing the conditions over the next few days before determining the final XI for Boxing Day,” Clarke wrote in his column for Daily Telegraph .

“Ben Hilfenhaus and Mitchell Starc will be fighting it out for the third fast bowler's spot and they obviously bring different skills to the table. Hilfy boasts experience, the ability to swing the ball and bowl long spells, while Mitchell is a tall left-armer who can be a real handful for opposing batsmen when he gets everything in sync,” he wrote.

Clarke also indicated that allrounder Dan Christian could be brought into the playing XI as Shane Watson was not named in the squad after having failed to recover fully from his injury.

Big Bash factor

Clarke does not see any problem in the Test players featuring in the Twenty20 Big Bash League just ahead of the series. Rather he said playing in the Big Bash would help the players.

“There has been plenty of discussion about the merits of Test squad members playing in the Big Bash between the New Zealand and Indian Test series. I think it's been good for players to have some time in the middle and I've personally enjoyed watching the games on TV. Certainly the timing has been perfect in getting Shaun a game off the back of our batting camp,” he said.

Batting camp

Talking about the batting camp called for some players, including himself, struggling Ricky Ponting and Hussey, Clarke said, “The camp has also been in the news of late, and it's given the whole batting group a good chance to spend some time together before Boxing Day.

“We've spoken about the opposition and brought in some bowlers who have similar traits to the Indians to ensure our preparation is as comprehensive as it can be. It's all about improvement and I'm confident the boys will put in a good showing over the next four Tests.”

Meanwhile, the pitch for the opening India-Australia Test here will have some grass on it but it won't be green as MCG curator Cameron Hodgkins wants to ensure that a variety of bowlers get wickets on the track.

Hodgkins said that he “would like to leave some grass” but he “did not want it green” when the first Test starts here.

“If then freshness disappears through rolling, well and good. If not, we will adjust the cut lower to take grass off the top,” Hodgkins told The Daily Telegraph .

“We have never used it for a Test match, but it is in the traditional position. Because we have portable wickets, we are not restricted. I haven't used the same pitch for a Test for the past four years.

“We pick the healthiest and the one that performs best the previous year. I am comfortable three days out that we will have a good cricket pitch,” he added.

Hodgkins said the pitch would be helpful with the new ball and then firm up and flatten out and the Australians should have variety in their bowling.

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