Boria Majumdar
In a storied career where he was part of two 5-0 Ashes sweeps and two World Cup wins – including as captain in 2015 – Michael Clarke never managed to win a Test series in England. That alone should illustrate the enormity of the challenge that faces Shubman Gill and his relatively inexperienced squad over the next six weeks. But, as he told Boria Majumdar, RevSportz editor-in-chief, Clarke also saw plenty of reasons for India to be optimistic – whether it be Kuldeep Yadav’s left-arm wrist-spin, the overall attack led by Jasprit Bumrah, or the new leadership team of Shubman Gill and Rishabh Pant.
Boria: Michael, how do you set up the England series for me? Do you give India a chance?
Clarke: Well, yes, I do give them a chance, but it’s a lot more inexperienced team than the one I expected to be on a plane to England. Having no Rohit Sharma, no Virat Kohli, is huge. Players come, players go, people retire and the game moves on. So that does not mean a new captain is the worst thing for India. I’m not saying that. Somebody retires, and that gives somebody else an opportunity.
The main thing for me, though, is the Indian bowling attack. So, we’re all aware that [Jasprit] Bumrah is not going to play five Tests. So which Test matches is he going to play? Does he play the first three in a row? You win the series, and the last two will not matter. I don’t think that’s going to be the case. I think it’s going to have to be spaced out, because the reason he’s not going to play five is his body. And then, I also saw no [Mohammed] Shami in the squad as well. I think him missing the Australian series was huge, and if he and a fit Bumrah were in Australia, then it would have been a very different series.
The IPL has been the easiest way for people to notice talent and recognise it. There is so much talent in this country, and it is not just T20 cricket – it’s all cricket. You’ve got guys making double-hundreds, triple-hundreds in first-class cricket. Very rarely do you have that in a country like Australia or other countries. You know, I think talent wise, India will always be in safe hands. It’s just how soon is this series for some of these players. Five Test matches in England is tough, tough cricket.
Boria: A bowling attack largely consisting of Bumrah, Arshdeep [Singh], [Mohammed] Siraj and Kuldeep Yadav. Maybe with Nitish Reddy or Shardul Thakur as a back-up. What do you think about it?
Clarke: Very good, very good attack. Look, I think there’s enough talent to win the series in the Indian squad. It’s just experience. And like I said, I found playing in India and playing in England – in Test match cricket, these are the two hardest places. They’re the two biggest series, but the two hardest places to win. England is just one of those places that you need confidence, you need self-belief, and playing in the conditions and having success there generally gives you that. So, for a lot of these players, it’s going to be their first time to play a five-Test match series in those conditions. Now, that doesn’t mean you can’t win. The positive with that is you can play fearless cricket, because you don’t know what you don’t know. So, you don’t have scars, or you don’t have fear. So that could be a positive. I just think if you had a fully fit Bumrah playing five Test match matches, with a Shami, with a Virat Kohli’s experience and class, with an experienced tactician in Rohit Sharma – I think it looked a very, very different squad. I love seeing Kuldeep out there. I do. I think he’s earned the right to be India’s first-pick spinner. I think he’s a match-winner. I think he has an X-factor. And I think he will be defining. If India win the series, I think Kuldeep Yadav could be the difference. He’s that big a player, in my opinion, in this Indian team.
Boria: Kuldeep seems to be in a very good mental space, and says that he is calmer now and reads the batter well. Is that a good thing for India?
Clarke: He’s as confident as I’ve ever seen him. He is so ready for this opportunity. With a lot of players, it takes time, but once you feel ready to own your position, it’s the best feeling in the world. You want the ball in your hand as a bowler. When the team is under pressure, you want to bowl those overs and get the needed wicket. As a batsman, it’s the same. You sit there waiting, hoping somebody gets out, because you want to get out there so badly. That’s when you know you’re playing your best. And I think Kuldeep is one of those guys at the moment. He wants the pressure, and believes he can win India a game of cricket.
Boria: Kuldeep says England will attack me, unlike some of the other teams, and the moment they do that, I have a chance. So, I am confident of winning the battle because I will always have a chance.
Clarke: Well, planning is very important. And I think India will plan well and will look at how England have played in the past couple of years under Brendon McCullum. Kuldeep already knows what he’s in for. So, I guess information is power. Sit and watch, look at footage of individual batters, how they go about it, how they play spin bowling or fast bowling. Look at England as a team, what they’re going to try and do in their own backyard. What are the conditions going to be like? The more you can plan, the better it is . I think the fact that there are a few first-class games as well for India before they play their first Test match is brilliant preparation. I think it’s brilliant for the guys to get over there, and want to try and get used to the conditions as much as you can. So, look, I’m saying India a chance. There’s no doubt about it. I think you would be very silly to ever write India off. They have shown it in all formats. It’s just about the execution in those conditions. Like I said, all the five Test matches, it’s tough cricket.
Boria: Michael Clarke, you are defined also as a leader. Your thoughts on Shubman Gill as leader and batter, and Rishabh Pant?
Clarke: Yeah, look, I like them both. I think Rishabh makes a very good vice-captain. He’s the wicketkeeper as well. So, he is in a good position to be involved with the game every single ball and to communicate with his leader, with his captain. Shubman Gill, I think, tactically, was very good in the IPL. First and foremost, he will want to make runs because that’s a way to earn respect from the teammates. Captaincy is something on top of that. I think it’s going to be a challenge for anyone who is captaining five Test matches in England because it’s tough cricket. But I think Shubman can do it.
Tactically he’s good enough. We just have to be patient and give him time. With some good, experienced players around him, like Bumrah. I think Bumrah did a very good job when he captained in Australia. So, Shubman should try and speak to these players and senior players that have led before. And I think he will do that.
I don’t know him that well, but he seems like a really good guy. He seems like the right character to lead. He loves winning. Technically, batting, I think he’s a superstar in the making. He’s got all the shots and is a three-format player. With time, he’ll get that self-belief in Test cricket. And he seems like a good enough player to dominate Test cricket. With captaincy, everyone just has to be patient. But tactically in the IPL, I thought he did really well.
Boria: And Rishabh Pant?
Clarke: I was happy to see him make 100 in that last [IPL] game. I just think he’s one of those players everyone wants to see do well. [Last] couple of years, there’s been some tough times as well, coming back from surgery. And a lot of talk about whether he will play cricket again? He’s worked so hard. He deserves good results. So, I saw him after the game when he made that 100 for LSG and I was over the moon for him. He’s the star. There’s no doubt about it.
Again, all three formats. He’s around the group all the time. His keeping gets better every single day. I think he kept really well throughout the IPL. Again, he had challenges with batting, but that’s what I’m saying. You’re trying to be a wicketkeeper, top-order batsman and captain as well – and the highest-paid player. There’s a lot that goes into your body, and your mind can only take so much. So, he’s got to try and find a way in regard to the IPL to balance that out, to get the best out of himself. He did it in the last game with the bat. I’ve no doubt he will find a way to do that. I like him being vice-captain. I think he’ll be very important for Shubman Gill. I think they have got to work together. I think he’s very confident with his own game at the moment, and vice-captaincy will help that self-belief as well. If all goes according to the plan and they play the cricket that they want to play, they could be there for a long time.
Boria: India have picked Sarfaraz Khan in the A team and Karun Nair in the main team. Would you have advocated the inclusion of Shreyas Iyer because of the form that he is in, plus the leadership quality he has?
Clarke: Look, Twenty20 is different than Test cricket. I don’t know Shreyas Iyer’s first class record last year. So, I don’t know, but I’m assuming it would be good. He is batting beautifully, there’s no doubt about it. Look, at the end of the day, the selectors pick who they think is best for that tour and they go with that. And I’m not one to be critical. It’s not the Australian team. I don’t know enough about all the players to get involved with that. I think the one thing with Shreyas Iyer that has impressed me … the last game [Qualifier 2] against Mumbai Indians, I was on commentary and I made it very clear, if Shreyas Iyer wants to play for India, wants to be spoken about like all these great players, then this is the moment. He has to stand up in that semi-final [of sorts], and he did.
He batted a class above everybody else. He owned that moment, owned that stage, got his team home as the team were losing wickets. He was brilliant. Now that’s what international players do. They can own that, and they can win the game off their own bat. Same thing, the expectation doesn’t change when you’re one of the best players. Virat Kohli, every time he walks out to bat, that expectation is there. Now If Shreyas continues to perform like this, I don’t think you can continue to not select him. All he can do is score runs as a batsman, stand up on the biggest stage and then the selectors will have to pick him. This IPL, captaincy wise, tactically, with the bat leading from the front, dealing with pressure, everything you want from your international players, he has shown. So, you know, even his attitude around not being selected is very respectful, even though he is disappointed. He’s just got to keep performing. I think that’s the right attitude. And when he gets that chance, he then has to grab it with both hands.
Boria: Your word on KL Rahul, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Sai Sudharsan? Your analysis of whether the three can stand up in England?
Clarke: I think it’s a really good 3, to be honest. I think the two openers complement each other. KL Rahul in Australia was phenomenal. When he opened the batting, he has discipline to let the ball go. I think it was so important, and will be so important in England conditions. Now, sometimes in England with the Dukes ball, it could be good to bat for the very first 10 overs because the ball, when it’s brand new, might not swing as much. Ten overs in, once one side gets a little bit rougher, then you get the ball to swing a lot more in England. So, as an opening batsman, that allows you to get in and have a look before it starts to swing.
Again, a lot will depend on what pitches they prepare and, most importantly in England, what the weather’s like above. When the sun’s out, it’s as good for batting as anywhere in the world. When it’s overcast, the ball can move around. I think KL, technically, he can adapt to that. He’s got good defence, he’s very balanced – front foot, back foot – leaves the ball well. That’s what I saw in Australia and throughout his career. Again, I think he goes into this series full of confidence and that’s important.
Sai [Sudharsan] has been unbelievable. A young left-hander, with all the shots. Honestly, the thing I am the most impressed with is how balanced he is. So, a lot of times at the start of the innings, a lot of batters can fall across the crease, stay leg side of the ball, which opens up that outside edge. He’s so still, which tells me he’s very good technically, and watching the ball closely. His eyes are level and he’s seeing the ball very early. I think he could be another one of these Indian players that has the potential to be an absolute superstar. And it’s not just Test cricket. He’s an all-three-format player. So, that’s what I say. You can look at the experience that’s not in this Indian team or Indian squad, but in regard to talent, it is unbelievable! And I can’t wait to watch the third Test match at Lord’s.
Boria: With this relatively new look attack for England, do you think India have a chance there?
Clarke: Yeah, I don’t think they should fear. They should go there confident. I definitely think this Indian team has plenty of reasons to walk out there and play fearless cricket. I think no Jofra Acher [for at least the first Test] is a big miss. He’s a star and if he’s not available for every Test match, then England will continue to miss him. I like seeing Mark Wood in England’s attack because he offers something different. He’s got that speed. You can bowl him in short spells. He’s aggressive. I like seeing him in their 11 as well. So, how many Test matches he can play could be defining as well. Of course, it would be hard to replace [Jimmy] Anderson, [Stuart] Broad. But I think England will be still confident.
Ben Stokes being fully fit again, batting and bowling, is a massive plus for them. I think they’re very set on how they want to play and have made it very clear that they’re going to play that aggressive brand of cricket. But that does present opportunities for India. But I don’t see any reason why India should go there unsure. I think India should play the brand of cricket that they know, play their natural game. They have got those players now in the squad that haven’t been around for a long time, so there should be so much energy, excitement. Yes, some nerves, but it’s also the time to create their own legacy, like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma did in their time. This would be the best possible way to pay the respect forward towards them.
EXCLUSIVE
India to Win England Test Series 3-2: Michael Clarke’s HUGE Prediction
Former Australia captain breaks down India’s chances in the upcoming Test series against England. Despite an inexperienced squad, Clarke sees optimism in the new leadership of Shubman Gill and… pic.twitter.com/nEMBI29E3W
— RevSportz Global (@RevSportzGlobal) June 15, 2025
Boria: Prediction? Do you see India winning at least 1-2 [Tests]?
Clarke: It’s going to be 3-2. There you go. I’m going for India. I’m going to watch the Lord’s Test. I’m going to watch India play at Lord’s. So, I am going for India. I want them to win 3-2.
Boria: Absolutely.