JOIN USSubsequently, he has been lambasted back home both by the media and former cricketers, but the right-handed batsman appears to have taken the criticism in his stride. “Everybody is entitled to his opinion,” he remarked here on Wednesday before his team’s practice session. “There is no doubt about my poor performance in Test cricket. I deserve that criticism.
“I'm very disappointed about that but I can't change that. It is certainly not for want of training. I have been training as hard as I can. I am really excited about the two one-day games. People in public life and people in media will always have their own opinion, whether I am playing okay or whether I'm vice-captain of the Australian team,” he explained.
Clarke has had some success against India with his left-arm spin bowling, and the Aussie skipper said he wasn’t averse to bowling in one-dayers. “I think it is a great part of the game, making runs and still wanting to contribute to team's success (with the ball). In this game, you do have ups and downs. You try to help in the team's success. In these two games, I will try to score runs and try my best. If I get to bowl, I’ll try to take wickets,” he observed.
The Ashes against England may be primary on Australian minds, but Clarke felt that in no way diminished the importance of the one-dayers here. “A few of the players have gone back home to have a little bit of rest to get ready for the Australian summer. In saying so, this is a huge one-day series. A lot of young guys have not played too much cricket in these conditions. We know it is going to be tough cricket. All the players are excited about tomorrow's game. We have seen some sunshine and hopefully we get the same weather tomorrow,” he stated.