In the second part of a three-part series on foxsports.com.au, Australia legends Adam Gilchrist and Jason Gillespie reflect on Michael Clarke’s Test debut and the second match of the 2004 Border-Gavaskar Series.
If Test greatness is measured in adversity overcome, then it’s little surprise that Michael Clarke’s debut remains firmly among the best ever witnessed.
The plucky 23-year-old from Sydney’s west was thrown in the deep end in October 2004 with not one, but two awfully big pairs of shoes to fill – and he didn’t have the record that suggested he could do it.
Already facing the toughest assignment in world cricket, Australia was dealt with the biggest of blows days before its Test tour of India in 2004, with Ricky Ponting breaking his thumb.
PART ONE: ‘Damaged goods’: Inside the ‘personal’ torment and genius switch behind finest Aussie hour
In the two years prior to the series, Ponting had scored 10 Test centuries, and was averaging 73.74.
This blow came for a side that was only months removed from Steve Waugh, who averaged an impressive 47.36 in India from nine Tests.
And here was Clarke, who didn’t even average 40 in first class cricket, called upon to fill the giant void for the first Test of the Border-Gavaskar series.
Amid some criticism of selectors for picking him, Clarke was handed his baggy green by Shane Warne and slotted into the middle order to start the series, with Simon Katich moving up to No.3, and Adam Gilchrist named as captain.
Clarke had two years earlier been called into the ODI side, while he was starting to generate some buzz about being a strong player of spin who could be Waugh’s successor.
Throw in Ponting’s absence, the high-pressure cricket cauldron that is India, and the anticipation that this could be the group that finally ends Australia’s win drought in the nation, Clarke might’ve been feeling the heat.
Or at least, a lesser player would have.
“He was quite a confident young man when he first got in the Australian side,” Jason Gillespie recalls for foxsports.com.au.
“And don’t misinterpret that as he was arrogant or anything, he was just a confident young man in his own ability.”
Gilchrist remembers Clarke’s arrival the same, also eager to stress the line between confidence and arrogance.
“He was just a really bright, bubbly, young player who came in with an air of confidence that was probably a bit stronger than some other youngsters that had come in,” he says.
“But certainly not in an arrogant way that alienated him from anyone.
“He was a really popular young fella who brought a real sense of energy.”
Australia, which hadn’t won a Test series in India since 1969, won the toss in Bangalore and was reduced to 4-149, bringing Clarke to the crease.
Looking fidgety upon arrival, the right-hander had to first-up face Anil Kumble, who had just made Darren Lehmann his 399th Test wicket.
Kumble’s next ball almost produced 400. Clarke didn’t identify the googly, was wrapped on the pads – and umpire Steve Bucknor would’ve had a tough call to make if it wasn’t a no-ball.
From there, however, Clarke did far more than just survive.
Clarke was patient, but positive, harnessing his aggression to unleash it in timely bouts against top-quality spinners in Kumble and Harbhajan Singh. His footwork was particularly impressive, unlocking a level of adeptness against spin bowling seldom seen from Australian batters.
It’s not too much of a stretch to say that this one innings in Bangalore helped set the template for how coaches would begin to teach juniors in Australia how to play spin.
Clarke batted, and batted, and batted some more, not ending until he was caught for 151 off 248 balls, and Australia was in command at 8-471.
In doing so, Clarke became the first Australian since Greg Blewett in 1995 to score a Test ton on debut, while he remains one of only six to achieve the feat away from home.
He’s the only Australian to ever do it on debut in India, while Shaun Marsh is the only other to do it in Asia, having made 141 against Sri Lanka seven years later.
Given the circumstances, Clarke’s 151 in Bangalore is arguably the single greatest innings by an Australian on Test debut, and one of the best of all time.
“That’s one of the best knocks I’ve seen, regardless of (it) being a first knock,” says Gillespie, who watched from the team rooms.
“I just thought the way he played – particularly the spinners – I remember him coming down the wicket to Anil Kumble and hitting him over cover. Not many players could do that.
“Anil Kumble was a tall version of Rashid Khan. He just ran in and bowled quite fast, he was a quick leg spinner, so he was hard to get down the track to. Yet Michael Clarke was still running at him and taking him down the ground.
“It was pretty obvious to us that this was a pretty special talent, a gifted player … it was one of the best knocks I’ve seen in Test cricket, particularly from a young player playing his first Test match.
“It was a wonderful knock and went a long way to us winning the first Test.”
Gilchrist had the best seat in the house to Clarke’s innings, having formed one-half of a 167-run partnership with the young gun.
The partnership would prove massively influential in setting the tone for the series.
Australia had suffered heavy scarring from its visit in 2001, when defeat was snatched from the jaws of victory.
The series loss from 1-0 up had an extra, personal impact on Gilchrist who closed it out with scores of 0, 0, 1 and 1.
In blasting 104 from 109 balls in Bangalore three years later, however, Gilchrist was confident again, feeling renewed validation in his ability to play in Indian conditions.
But it was the emergence of Clarke that Gilchrist credits for truly sparking the tide-turning moment for Australia in India.
“I think the fact he came in uninhibited and without any scars from the previous experiences for a few of us, that was really refreshing,” he says.
“It added to the mood and the beat and the tempo of the team at the start of that tour.
“He was the catalyst for a really positive start, I think.”
New bowling plans, explored in part one of this series, worked a treat for the remainder of the Test with India bowled out for 246 and 236 to give Australia a 217-run win.
Now 1-0 up, Australia was in the same position as three years prior.
But like that ill-fated series, India threatened to bite back in the second Test in Chennai, where Australia was on the ropes.
From 3-191, Australia capitulated to be all out for 235 in the first innings, before India replied with 376.
Back in on day three, Australia needed to somehow bat long in its second innings to save the Test.
That’s when Gilchrist made the surprise move of promoting himself to bat at first-drop in the contest he described as a “dogfight”.
“I just decided to bat myself at No.3 just to try and get in and be really positive and almost – I wasn’t saying I was a sacrificial player, where I went in and just tried to go after it and it didn’t matter if I got out compared to other batters, I knew my value as a batter – I just wanted to go in and just try to surprise India a bit,” Gilchrist says, “and get that lead down as quickly as we could without taking too much time and slowing the game down.”
Gilchrist was out just before day three stumps, but after making 49 runs, Australia had just scraped into the lead again at 4-145.
The Australian legend provided countless dazzling displays for his country, but that ad hoc innings at No.3 as stand-in captain remains one of Gilchrist’s personal favourites.
“Most people don’t ever get that much enjoyment when I talk about one of my favourite innings being a 40-odd in the second innings of a Test, but it was really important to me personally,” he says.
“That allowed Marto and Dizzy – they played an extraordinary partnership the next day.”
Nightwatchman Gillespie survived to stumps, as did Damien Martyn who would play a vital role on day four.
Only Clarke and Lehmann remained as recognised batters in the Australian XI, placing the pressure on Martyn to bat long, and score big.
Even so, India would still be in a strong position with Martyn at the crease given the nightwatchman would surely soon depart and open up the other end.
Only he didn’t.
“That was my most important knock as a nightwatchman,” Gillespie says.
“There’s another knock that probably gets a few more accolades (201* vs Bangladesh in 2006), but as of importance for the team, that knock in Chennai was – that was probably the most challenging batting I’ve ever encountered.
“Obviously facing Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh on a wicket that was giving them a bit of assistance, it was the hardest batting I ever had to encounter.”
Gillespie only made 26 runs, but he survived 165 balls and, most importantly, survived more than four hours at the crease before finally falling to Harbhajan in the day’s second session.
Despite vastly exceeding expectations, the fast bowler said he was left with a feeling of guilt.
“I kind of felt guilty being out there batting with (Martyn) because I wasn’t able to contribute strongly to scoring runs,” he says. “I was able to survive but I just didn’t have the repertoire of strokes to keep the scoreboard ticking over so I always felt a bit guilty.
He adds: “But Marto was a colossus that game, and did wonderfully well.”
Martyn made 104 from 210 balls, while Australia went on to score 369 from 133.5 overs.
India went from being in total control of the Test match, to only marginally ahead with Australia setting the hosts a tricky 229 for victory.
Whether it was enough, we will never know, because heavy overnight rain waterlogged the outfield, wiping out the final day of the Test.
Australia was now still leading the blockbuster series, needing just one more win, or two draws, to claim cricket’s holy grail.
Part three of this series will look at the third Test in Nagpur, where there was great controversy before a ball was even bowled.
