'A dream come true', says Clarke

Michael Clarke entered Australian folklore at the Chinnaswammy Stadium today, by converting his overnight 76 into a brilliant 151 on his Test debut. And batting alongside him at the crucial moment was his captain, Adam Gilchrist, who also went on to score a century of his own.

"It's an absolute dream come true," said Clarke, "firstly for Australia, but also for me personally as well. I've scored a hundred on debut, and in Bangalore as well, which is a great place where I've enjoyed some good one-day games in the past, and to do it with my captain at the other end is fantastic."

As the century approached, the first signs of nerves crept into Clarke's game, but Gilchrist was on hand for reassurance and was regularly seen applauding his team-mate's patience.

"The communication levels in this team are well established," explained Gilchrist afterwards. "It's two of us against 11 of them, so we talk to each other as much as we can. They bowled a really tight line and length and tightened Clarkey up in that nineties period, and it was inevitable he was going to be nervous. But I was simply there to keep him keep focussed on the bigger picture and, more importantly, the next ball. It was a very special moment."

Clarke's nerves had been exacerbated by the arrival of his family, who arrived en masse to witness the event. And in a moment of symbolism to bring a tear to every Australian eye, Clarke chose to don the Baggy Green cap as his hundred approached. "It was all pre-planned," he explained. "I told my father and manager, that if I ever got the opportunity to score a hundred, I'd do so wearing the Baggy Green. And it all worked out perfectly.

"I didn't sleep well at all last night," he admitted. "I woke early, and then couldn't get back to sleep, but it's all been worth it. The last four restless nights have definitely been worth it. And my parents were able to get on a flight and get over here, so to be able to look up into the stands and see them there was brilliant."

Gilchrist admitted that the emotion of Clarke's achievement had swept his team along, but he was keen not to lose sight of the primary objective, which was to win the Test match. "Let's not get too overrun by the personal issues," he urged. "Great though they are, the real excitement is for the team to be in this position, after performing with both bat and ball."

Gilchrist's own innings was somewhat relegated into the shadows, although the comparisons with his start to the 2001 series were hard to ignore, especially given that he followed his 122 at Mumbai with two runs in four more innings. "I've been thinking back to the way I started the series then," he admitted. "[That century] was probably a more flamboyant hundred, but a bit risky. It all came off that day, but I failed for the rest of series.

"I've had three long years to think about it, and today I adopted a different gameplan. The wicket played well, but because I expected it to spin more, I felt more confident playing straight. I never thought I'd get a hundred in India with one sweep shot, so that's pleasing. Now, hopefully, I won't get a dirty, dodgy little lbw decision like I did in Kolkata three years ago! Moments like that can change your life.

With 2001 in mind, the question of whether Gilchrist would adopt the follow-on was a hot topic among the local media. But he refused to get carried away with Australia's position.

"The wicket is not breaking up as we expected," he said, "although it could yet get difficult, with a bit of inconsistent bounce and some reverse swing. There are still 270 overs left in this match, so anything can happen. I remember being cock-a-hoop with our position in Kolkata, but we are wise to that experience, and we're not going to get ahead of ourselves. Today is a day to enjoy individual feats, but tomorrow we'll be executing our plans as best we can."