MELBOURNE: A swashbuckling century on debut against India was the making of Michael Clarke as a test batsman. Seven years later, the one-time golden boy of Australian cricket might hope a home series against the same team could be his making as a captain.
Tasked with leading Australia out of the cricketing doldrums, the 30-year-old has endured a baptism of fire since taking over from Ricky Ponting, who relinquished the captaincy with the team at its lowest ebb in a quarter of a century.
Inheriting a team demoralised after suffering humiliating defeat to England in the Ashes on home soil, Clarke's nine months at the helm has seen Australia mix rousing test victories with losses farcical in their ineptitude.
Clarke led Australia to a 1-0 series victory in Sri Lanka before splitting series 1-1 away to South Africa and home to New Zealand.
Australia's loss in the second test against New Zealand in Hobart, their first defeat in 26 years on home soil against their trans-Tasman rivals, left a particularly sour taste and declarations of "crisis" in local newspapers.
Against second-ranked test side India and their stable of ageing champion batsmen, Clarke faces his biggest test as captain while under pressure to deliver the goods in front of a still-sceptical public.
"All of us feel we're playing inconsistent cricket at the moment ... We go one step forward and two steps backwards," Clarke wrote in his newspaper column last week.
"I'm confident we can make amends against India ... I think it's going to be a really good contest between youth and enthusiasm versus some old wise heads in the Indian team."
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