Clarke has grown increasingly frustrated with the constant failures of his batsmen

Coming off an embarrassing 4-0 whitewashing at the hands of India, Australia captain Michael Clarke lashed out at his batsmen for not being able to capitalise on the good starts they made.

Clarke looked like a one-man band throughout the series, while pace duo Mitchell Starc and Peter Siddle both had their shining moments with the bat as well.

Clarke noted that he was starting to get sick and tired of his batsmen making good starts and getting out to loose shots due to a lack of concentration.

“One of the things I spoke to the boys the other day about is that it’s more crucial here if you get a start to go on and make a big score,” Clarke said. “So if you make a fifty, a sixty, a seventy, and get out, you’re more accountable there than the guy who made zero, because it is a really difficult place to start, especially against spin or walking in against the reverse-swinging ball. It’s up to the guys who get a start to take the team forward.”

While Australia’s top order, which consists of Ed Cowan, David Warner and Phillip Hughes, continue to struggle, Clarke has had two magnificent years with the bat, during which he compiled 2,247 Test runs, which have included eight centuries, three of which have been double hundreds and one triple century.

With Clarke doing so well, many cricket pundits and former players have questioned his decision not to promote himself up the batting order.

However, Clarke admitted that while the thought had already crossed his mind, the reality is that the top four positions are already filled.

“I spoke to Mickey Arthur and Watto (Shane Watson) about that,” Clarke said. “Again the result is what we think is best for the team. It can’t be about the individual player. Would it be better for me to bat higher? Personally it might be, because I get in earlier, I get to face the new ball. But the decision is nothing to do with me. The same as it’s nothing to do with Watto in regards to opening the batting. We think it’s the right batting order to help us win this Test match.

“I don’t think anybody’s restricted to a certain position. I think it’s great that everybody in our top four has opened the batting for Australia. We have plenty of options there and it really means we should be very good against new-ball bowling, which is a great positive for our team. You need to definitely look at the success we’ve just had against Sri Lanka. The order we have right now worked against Sri Lanka. I’m confident we can have success here as well.”

With all-rounder Moises Henriques claiming the seventh spot on the team roster for the India tour and making an excellent first impression, Clarke now believes that the team have all their bases covered.

“I think we’ve got a really good attack,” Clarke said. “We’ve got three specialist fast bowlers, an allrounder in Moises and then our frontline spinner in Nathan Lyon and a couple of part-timers in David Warner and myself. Personally I think we have covered all bases.”