Australia's Bid to be Number One on the Right Track
Captain Michael Clarke insisted that there will be no relenting from Australia when they look to wrap up a series whitewash over India come the fourth and final Test match in Adelaide, starting on 24 January.
The hosts on Sunday clinched a resounding innings and 37-run win inside three days in Perth to add to their triumphs in Melbourne and Sydney. David Warner was named Man of the Match for his big century, while Ben Hilfenhaus secured eight wickets across India's two innings.
Humiliated four-nil in England last year and now three-nil down in Australia, Mahendra Dhoni's men have been subjected to seven consecutive defeats away from home. Having upstaged an opposition that less than a year ago were at the helm of the Test rankings, Clarke called on his troops to maintain their ruthless edge at the Adelaide Oval in their steady bid to replicate India's once lofty heights.
"There is no such thing as a dead rubber for me," he said. "We haven't achieved much yet at this stage. We should be very proud to have beaten the number two ranked team in this series and we've done a lot of hard work.
"But we've got a lot more hard work to do before we'll be satisfied. In Adelaide you'll see that. It's nice to win this series but as I've said before our goal is to be the number one Test team in the world and we're a long way from that."
Clarke was quick to praise Warner, who again shrugged off his tag as a so-called Twenty20 specialist with a superb 180 at the WACA. Clouting 20 fours and smashing five sixes during his 158-ball stay at the crease, the cavalier left-hander now sports an impressive 383 runs at the average of 63.83 in this first eight Test knocks.
"It's great to see a kid who everyone thought was just a Twenty20 player 12 months ago walk out and play the same in the baggy green," enthused Clarke.
"I've said to David there's no reason he can't have success in any form of the game given his talent."