More than quality of batsmanship, Clarke feels that Ricky Ponting and Michael Hussey's absence will be felt while trying to "mentor" the junior players.

"Off the field, I would be needed more to help the youngsters during the training sessions." For Clarke, an India-Australia series is about "passion and intensity" and he believes that as long as he and Dhoni can ensure that they "draw a line", it's fine. "For me, this series is as important as the Ashes as well as playing against No 1 Test team South Africa." A veteran of 89 Tests, who is just 11 short of completing 7000 runs, Clarke emphatically stated that he has "never played the sport for money" when he was asked whether he got a raw deal after fetching only USD 400,000 at the IPL auctions. "Throughout my entire career, it has never been about playing for money. Had it been so, I would have never skipped earlier editions of IPL. I didn't play as my body didn't permit. I have always been a huge supporter of IPl but right now, my focus is on the Test series."