"They thought this was the best preparation… time will tell" - Ravi Shastri questions India's decision not to play warm-up games in Australia
Former India player and head coach Ravi Shastri said he would have liked the Men in Blue to play at least one full-fledged warm-up contest on Australian soil ahead of the Border-Gavaskar series. The visitors opted against any practice matches against any domestic side and instead went for match simulation in Perth.
India had an intra-squad warm-up clash scheduled with India 'A' initially, but the management canceled it, as match simulation was viewed as a better preparation avenue. This route by the Indian squad has not been taken well by experts, who feel that a warm-up match, especially after the recent drubbing against New Zealand, was essential.
India will play a warm-up clash against the Prime Minister's XI to adjust to the pink ball during the gap between the first and the second Tests of the series.
“It’s always, ‘how strong will the opposition be?’ That’s the first question you ask (planning a tour game). I prefer playing matches, even if it’s a two-day game or a three-day game. With the time India had, they might have thought of that, but at the end of the day, it’s the team management who understands best," Shastri said (via The West Australian).
“They know how tired the players are – they’ve just come off a series against New Zealand, they’ve played some one-day cricket as well, so they thought this was the best preparation … time will tell," Shastri added.
In India's last two victorious trips Down Under, they competed in warm-up matches against the likes of Australia 'A' and Cricket Australia.
"You mellow with age, don’t you?" - Ravi Shastri on Virat Kohli
Virat Kohli has inevitably been the focal point of the series even before the first match, with the Australian media coverage devoting their resources and space to hype up what could potentially be his last tour Down Under. The ace batter is not coming into the series in his best form, leaving a lot of uncertainty as to how he will approach the challenging assignment.
“You mellow with age, don’t you? But I think at the start of the Test series, you might just see (Kohli) firing again. He needs to be, I’d like to see him (like that) again. In the face, that’s Kohli. Come Australia, he’ll get his juices going. It’s (about) how he starts off, and for Australia, it’s with Steve Smith. These guys, don’t write them off – because if they get cracking in the first two or three innings, they’ll have a good series," Shastri said in the same interview.
The Border-Gavaskar series will get underway from Friday, November 22, onwards at the Optus Stadium in Perth. Team India are on the lookout to win their third series in Australia on the trot while the hosts look to end their drought.