In Clarke's absence from Delhi, the tourists have belatedly found some semblance of the competitive under the interim leadership of Shane Watson, showing a visible rise in aggression on the second afternoon. Clarke watched these events in Singapore between his flights, and said he hoped the team would salvage a belated reward from the tour with a closing victory.It was one of the toughest challenges of my career and I'm sure it has been for the other guys as well. Travelling to India and playing there is always tough. We knew we were going to face a lot of spin bowling and we have done. I think we'll learn from that, everybody will walk out of India as a better player and certainly more well prepared next time we go there for Test matches.Better prepared for India perhaps, but the most pressing matter now is how this series sets up the team for the Ashes. Clarke's own fitness is clouded after he missed a Test match due to his back problems for the first time. Clarke also admitted he was still carrying a tender hamstring from the home summer, and said he would do as I'm told" by medical staff in deciding whether or not to return to India for the IPL.Such a result would indicate some progress within the team, but there are plenty of questions to be asked of a tour that now seems as though it was doomed before it began due to the players' scant preparation, faulty skills and jaded attitudes. Answering for the results in a clipped manner, Clarke conceded the unprecedented events before the Mohali Test had been a "kick up the backside" for all.
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