Australian batsman Michael Clarke [Images] on Sunday said he spoke to Anil Kumble [Images] and sorted out the contentious issues raised by the Indian skipper after the acrimonious Sydney Test.

Kumble, in a newspaper column, had criticised Clarke for dishonesty on two counts: first for standing his ground after being clearly caught in the slips when he was yet to open account in Australia's second innings, and the other for claiming a controversial low catch in the slips to remove Sourav Ganguly [Images] on the final day of the Test.

Citing the two incidents, Kumble had threatened to discontinue with a pre-series agreement between the captains to accept the word of fielders on catches close to the ground.

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"I spoke to Anil and he was actually very supportive and said, 'Mate I understand'," said Clarke, who is being groomed to succeed Ricky Ponting [Images] as Australian captain.

"We've played a fair bit of cricket against each other and he knows I'm not the type of person to try and harm the game -- that was the last thing I would want, to put the game in jeopardy."

Clarke, was adamant that he took a clean catch to dismiss Ganguly but said he was disappointed to be out first ball in Australia's second innings.

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He said the pressure to come up with some runs after the first innings failure was the main reason behind standing his ground after being out.

"The catch, still to this day, I feel 100 per cent positive I caught fairly and I told him (Kumble) that.

"I said with my dismissal it was more shock and disappointment to be honest more than anything else."

Clarke said he was waiting eagerly for his turn to bat in the second innings.

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"I sat and waited while 'Huss' (Mike Hussey) and 'Haydos' (Matthew Hayden [Images]) batted fantastic in the second innings so I was sitting there for a couple of hours dying to get out there and have a bat.

"Failing in the first innings with family and friends all at the game, I was that excited to get out there and do well.

"When I went to cut the ball and it came off my glove and went to slip, it was more the shock and disappointment of failing again," the right-hander said.

Australian skipper Ricky Ponting has got a lot of flak for the way his team conducted themselves during the Sydney Test, but Clarke said his captain had handled the situation well in the aftermath of the controversial match.

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"It's full credit to our captain, our leader, that he's stood tall and been the front man of Australian cricket and faced the media when he's had to," he said.

"One of the greatest things about Ricky is that very rarely has he run away from anything and that's why he's been a great leader for Australian cricket."

The public outrage in the wake of events in Sydney had affected the Australian players and Clarke said there will be discussion within the team on areas in which they can improve.

"It's been a hell of a ride. I don't think many players have experienced what we've all experienced over the last five days, so it's opened everybody's eyes to how big this game of cricket is," he said.

"It (the team meeting) will be a general chat about what we live by, what we stand by... and a general reminder of what we do to be the best team in the world and things we can continue to improve on."