When Michael Clarke went in to bat in the first Test at Bangalore, his side was in a spot of bother at 149-4. India is certainly not the best place for any cricketer to make his debut. The atmosphere in the ground with crowds screaming at the top of their voices is certainly not something witnessed in other cricketing nations. It only adds to the pressure one is already under. But Clarke hardly looked under any stress during his first big hit in Test cricket. True, he had represented Australia in close to 40 ODI's. But Test cricket is a totally different kettle of fish. Also the guy he was replacing in the team was none other than his skipper Ricky Ponting. All these factors only added to the importance of the knock.

And what a classy effort the youngster came up with. His innings of 151 was studded with attractive strokes and that to against the likes of Harbhajan and Kumble on a track, which was meant to assist the spinners. None of the Indian bowlers troubled the 23 year old as Clarke first in the company of Katich and then with Gilchrist bailed Australia out of trouble into a position of strength. The greatness of Clarke's knock can be gauged from the fact that it even overshadowed a blitzkrieg from Gilchrist. It is not often that a ton from Gilchrist stands out as a supporting effort in Australia's innings. The only time Clarke looked like getting out was in the nervous 90's. He even had a close shave when Billy Bowden negated Kumble's lbw appeal which looked plumb in front. But Clarke deserved that stroke of luck considering his grit and determination in his first big knock in real cricket.

The innings was even more special as apart from scoring it in tough conditions in India, he also did it in front of his parents and grandparents. The tears in the eyes of his family members just showed how much it meant to the Clarkes. 

Making it to the Australian Test X1 is not the easiest task. Had he been born in any other country, he would already have been a couple of years old in Test cricket. So winning the Test cap for Australia at the age of 23 is ample testimony to his talent.

This new kid on the block has certainly got all the strokes in the book and provided he has the right attitude (which has been evident during his short stint in international cricket) he is here to stay. A new star in international cricket has arrived.