Every Indian batsman is our target: Clark: Cricketnext

Bangalore: Aussie seamer Stuart Clark said on Tuesday that his role as a frontline bowler would be to contain the Indian batsmen while Brett Lee and the others would be the attacking bowlers during the Test series in India for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy starting here on October nine.

"My role is to contain the Indian batsmen, who are the best in the world, while a couple of others, which ones I don't know, would be attacking bowlers solely concentrating on pace and swing. However, containing the batsmen does not mean that I will not be looking to take wickets. On Indian wickets, one has to be patient and keep plugging at the batsmen and hope the wickets tumble from the other end," Clark told reporters after the net practice on Tuesday.

"We have targets on line for the Indian batsmen and would be targeting all of them and not just one particular batter because if we focus on just one batsman, others might get runs. So, our job is to target all of them. We are up against a very good batting side and if our guys can get an early break-through we can exploit the situation. We have got a plan and an idea I hope we can use them successfully," he added.

Elaborating on the plans, Clark said, the Aussie bowlers had to hit right spots straight away and there was not much room for experiments.

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"The bowlers have to bowl in the right spots and I will be taking the new ball. It helps me to bowl with the new ball. I have done a good job for the team earlier though it can be hard work over here. We have to bowl all day.

"We have heard that in 2004 (Micheal) Kasprowicz lost eight kilos bowling throughout the day and things like that. So we need to have patience. We have a job to do and we hope we can do a good job," he said about the new ball attack.

"Getting used to the conditions over here is another vital factor. In Hyderabad, we got to play a competitive game on a wicket which did not suit the fast bowlers as expected. We have to get acclimatised to the conditions. To get used to the conditions is also important and then bowl in the right spots. If we get an opening, we can take advantage otherwise we might have to keep bowling the whole day. It is our responsibility to take wickets and if we are focused we can take those twenty wickets to force a win," he added.

Speaking on the sub-continent wickets in general, Clark said, it would be back-breaking work.

"You don't get a lot back from the wickets over here. You have to keep banging away as there will be no help from the wicket. Unlike in Australia you cannot expect batsmen to be bounced out here fending at short pitched deliveries. To take wickets one has to be patient and work hard and we are up to it," he stressed.

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Speaking about their opening batsman and the highest run-getter on Indian soil, Matthew Hayden's recent remarks that he loves to go after Indian bowlers and hence he has been able to dominate, Clark said, it would be good if other Aussie batsmen too follow this example.

"Hayden knows how to play on these conditions. He loves to dominate the bowlers and that is one of the reasons that he has done very well against the Indians. If he does well we will be truly home, a lot will depend on him giving starts and also other batters following his example," Clark observed.

Speaking about the SG balls, which will be used in the present series, Clark said they were quicker than the kukkabura balls used in England.

"I will be taking the new ball and I have to get used to it (SG balls) quickly because you just cannot falter when it counts most," he said.

When asked whether he had got any tips from the likes of Glenn McGrath, Jason Gillispe and Michael Kasprowicz, who were part of the winning team which toured India in 2004, Clark replied in the negative.

"I believe Jason and Kasprowicz are playing in the ICL. I hope to bump into them sometime so that we can share the experience of playing under these conditions," he said.

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