New Delhi: He has created a huge furore by suggesting that if what Steve Smith was doing by looking upto the changing room for advice on a DRS referral was a repeat offence, it is totally unacceptable. He has also suggested that Peter Handscombe, who was indicating to his captain to look to the changing room for assistance, could not have done so had it not been tried before. The issue has now led to both the BCCI and Cricket Australia issuing statements backing their respective captains. But he, Michael Clarke, is unperturbed. “Even as a player I always said what I believed in and I will continue to do so”, he says.
In this candid conversation with Boria Majumdar on Smith and Virat, on his autobiography to be launched at the Fanattic Sports Museum in Kolkata on March 14 and on India Australia cricket contests in general, Clarke takes every question on the chin and faces them with a straight bat.
Do you think what you said about Steve Smith and Peter Handscombe is right or have you changed your position now that a few days have gone by and you have had time to rethink your comments?
Michael Clarke: I don’t think I said anything wrong in the first place. I am aware that India Australia contests are fought hard on the field and that’s how it should be. But there is always a line that has to be drawn and if you cross the line you need to be censured for that. If what Virat Kohli is saying - that he twice had mentioned things to the umpires about Australia seeking assistance from the change room on DRS referrals, is correct, it is a serious offence. And it is unacceptable. We don’t play our game like that. And seeing the footage and seeing Peter Handscombe gesture to Smith to look up, I have my doubts if it was a one off. I need more information on the matter and want the umpires to tell us if Virat indeed had pointed out twice before and if he did why didn’t they report the matter to the match referee?
So what’s the way forward? Smith doesn’t come out looking too good from this does he?
Clarke: That’s absolutely right. And this is perhaps the first time Steve Smith is facing criticism of this nature. It will bring out the real character in the man. As a player Smith has been outstanding and Australia has benefitted a great deal from his performances. Now he has to move on from this controversy and let his bat do the talking in Ranchi. Get a hundred for Australia. Do it for his team. There is no doubt the Indians will come hard at him. They know what has happened and what he has said. Now it is on him to stand up and deliver with his bat.
Are you surprised with the way the Australians have bowled? I mean have they exceeded expectations especially the way they have bowled spin?
Clarke: I agree with you on this one. They indeed have. The way Nathan Lyon and Steven O’Keefe have bowled has been a revelation for every Australian supporter and especially against very good players of spin like Kohli, Rahane, Pujara and the others. But now they have to do it all over again in Ranchi. India was down in Bengaluru but have come back and levelled the series. They now have momentum and the Australians need to do everything they can to yet again wrest the initiative in Ranchi.
Moving on from the series to your autobiography, it has already created quite a flutter Down Under. Having read the book I want to suggest to you that between 2014 and your retirement it comes across as if you were not the same cricketer you were in say 2011-12. But in the same period you won the world cup as captain of Australia. That must have been a huge highpoint on home soil!
Clarke: It indeed was. However, positive stories do not make headlines for you people. Only the controversies and negative stuff is picked up. I had to complete 12 weeks of rehab in 8 weeks and I did everything humanly possible to get ready and lead Australia in the 2015 World Cup. I had pushed my body to its limits and when I look back I feel a tremendous sense of satisfaction for having done so. It will forever remain a fantastic memory winning the trophy on home soil and doing well as a player in the final against NZ.
However, a number of Australian cricketers who I have spoken to feel you weren’t perhaps right in retiring the night before the final. By doing so, and this is them speaking to me, you made it about yourself rather than the team. Would you care to react?
Clarke: I absolutely do not agree. If you look at Australian cricket history you will see players retire at the start of the summer and use the summer to thank people all over Australia and make the most of their last series or tournament. It is always a very special month to savour and remember. All I got was one match to say thank you to Australian cricket fans and my fans the world over. It was never about me and never will. It was always about the team and that’s the cardinal truth as far as I was concerned. In doing so I had alienated a few of my mates because I had to take tough decisions but as I said I don’t regret any of it because I know these decisions were taken with the interest of Australian cricket in mind.
There’s very little on ‘Monkeygate’ in the book. Is it deliberate that you don’t want to look back on that controversy?
Clarke: I was not a senior member of the team then Boria and did not have a role in decision making. All I can tell you is I had mentioned it to Andrew Symonds that if he did not feel really, really offended and if he felt he could overcome it he should not escalate it further. However, Symmo and some of the other players had different views and it became what it became. I never had a more direct involvement barring giving my testimony on what I’d heard.
It seems to me that even when you were batting at your best, Australian selectors like John Inverarity were doubting you. How did you come to terms with such doubts as captain and a player and do you think your personality, flamboyance, looks etc went against people’s notion of an Australian captain - you were no Border or Taylor or Waugh or Ponting in that sense and was it different?
Clarke: Yes I was. And I am proud of the way I am. It definitely did not fit in with people’s notion of an Australian captain and maybe I had to cop more flak and more criticism as a result right through my career. But such things always helped me you know. I am thankful to the critics for doubting me for it did help me to push myself further and show the world what I was capable of. I did feel pride and satisfaction in being able to prove them wrong. Such doubts did help me achieve things I am really proud of. So my critics do deserve a thank you for doing what they did!
Final question and I have to come back to the series — don’t sit on the fence and give me a prediction.
Clarke: (Laughs) I will say 2-1 but I can’t say which team. It has been a terrific series so far and I want a decision with one team winning and one losing. It is good for cricket.
