Michael Clarke: Indian Teams Unchanged in Tackling Aussie Media

The Australian media has lambasted the Indian team for refusing to make a statement when they asked for one.

Australian reporters have taken issue with Indian players Ravindra Jadeja and Akash Deep's decision to only respond to enquiries in Hindi when speaking to the media. In a series that has already had its share of other scandals, it has generated a significant amount of criticism.

In addition to the aforementioned, Virat Kohli's request to a member of the media at the Melbourne airport not to record his child was another noteworthy incident that fuelled the flames. However, Michael Clarke, a former captain of Australia, says that the Indian team's approach to the media has not altered much and is not surprised by it. Speaking to the reporters, he cited Indian greats Sachin Tendulkar and MS Dhoni as instances of people who have always been restrictive.

To be honest, I don't believe that much has changed. I have seen Indian teams visit this place, and for the entire Test series, their skipper, MS Dhoni, did not hold a single news conference. Thus, when Sachin decided to work in the media, he was extremely constrained. It's been the same for a while, I believe. He told ESPNcricinfo, "I like that they're still putting someone up."

Before they left India, they seemed to have made it very obvious what they would be like in Australia, in my opinion. They will adhere to their plan and to themselves. During the initial press conference, Gambhir made that extremely obvious. I'm not sure why anyone is surprised, and for them, the focus is on what's taking place on the pitch rather than off. Therefore, I don't believe that India would be overly bothered by the conversation surrounding it," Clarke continued.

With the score at 311-6 at the end of Day 1, the Australians are still in complete control of the game, with captain Pat Cummins and star batsman Steven Smith remaining at the crease. Jasprit Bumrah gave the Indian team some respite by finishing with scores of 3/75, but the most of the bowlers from India failed once more.