FORMER captain Michael Clarke says Australia needs to stop worrying about trying to be the “most liked team in the world” and focus on winning games.

The four-time Allan Border Medallist called for the team to go back to playing “tough Australian cricket” ahead of this summer’s Test series with India, which begins Thursday week.

“Australian cricket I think need to stop worry about being liked and start worry about being respected,” Clarke told Macquarie Sports Radio.

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“Play tough Australian cricket, because whether we like it or not, that is in our blood.

“If you try and walk away from it, yeah we might be the most liked team in the world, we’re not going to win s**t, we won’t win a game. All we can want to do is want to win.”

Clarke also spoke about the public opinion of suspended opening batsman David Warner and explained what you see is what you get behind the scenes with the 32-year-old.

“What you see with Davey Warner is what you get and I think your greatest strength can be your greatest weakness,” he said.

“To me, I always loved having him in the team that I was captaining, because he brought that aggression that I wanted from a player. But in saying that, there was always a line. He knew that.

David Warner and Michael Clarke embrace. Source: News Corp Australia

“We had a number of conversations one-on-one about that line that he couldn’t overstep.”

The 37-year-old suggested sledging on the field never bothered him, but for players like Warner, they relished the extra attention from opposition teams.

“He brings that positive approach to the Australian cricket team. But you can’t ask him to bring that and then in the other hand to blame him or ask him to be a pussycat when it comes to giving it,” Clarke explained.

“David Warner gives it to certain blokes on the field, because he wants them to give it to him when he’s batting, because it’s like a turn-on. It makes him play better.

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“For me, sledging never made a different in my life — if somebody said something to me, I took no notice. If I said something to someone else, it’s probably because I was under pressure. It didn’t help my game or hurt my game at all.

“Sledging has never bothered me. Some people, Steve Waugh, he loved it. He loved people saying stuff directly to him, that inspired him.

“You’ve got to accept David for who he is and what he brings to the team and the other thing, we are all different.

“Every single one of us is very different. So you don’t need to be best mates with everyone. You need to get the best out of everyone, that’s what you need to do.”