"They were understandably horrified" - Mitchell Johnson recalls anecdote involving Adam Gilchrist and Michael Kasprowicz from India tour
Former Australian speedster Mitchell Johnson narrated an interesting anecdote involving Adam Gilchrist and Michael Kasprowicz from a past tour of India. The 41-year-old stated that both Gilchrist and Kasprowicz came across a cockroach during lunch at a hotel in Nagpur.
In his column for the West Australian, Johnson described how the keeper-batter and fast bowler were horrified to see a cockroach and the waiter avoided it.
"India also seems to throw up the bizarre and a couple of tales come to mind from Nagpur. Adam Gilchrist and Michael Kasprowicz tell a tale about having lunch at the Pride Hotel when the waiter lifted a lid only to reveal a cockroach scurrying away. They were understandably horrified so the waiter picked it up and put it in his mouth and claimed everything was OK. It’s not a cockroach."
We had a few options to post to celebrate the 39th birthday of Mitchell Johnson but, let's be honest, it's hard to go past *that* spell in Adelaide!
Happy birthday, Mitch! 🥳 https://t.co/YOEQfr2Kgf
The 73-Test veteran further claimed that the scorching heat in Vadodara once forced him to have an ice bath:
"Once while playing in Vadodara, we heard about people’s thongs melting into the road while they were walking across the street. I had to change my shirt twice that day and get into an ice bath to cool off and that was just a one-day game."
The former pacer wrote the column ahead of Australia's upcoming tour of India. Mitchell Johnson, one of Australia's most successful bowlers, toured India twice and took 21 scalps in seven Tests with a solitary fifer.
"My prediction is again India 2-1" - Mitchell Johnson
Mitchell Johnson declared that India will start as firm favorites in the upcoming Test series, especially having won it the last three times.
"Batting on a crumbling pitch in the fourth innings does not present the same threat to the home team as it does to the tourists. India have won the past three series between the teams by a 2-1 score line, including two series in Australia. They are a very good team and it will be hard to turn the tables. My prediction is again India 2-1, while remaining hopeful for an Australian triumph."
Australia and India will lock horns in the four-Test series, starting on February 9th in Nagpur. The series carries plenty of relevance for both sides as it will decide the World Test Championship (WTC) finalists. For India to reach the final of the WTC, they must win the series 3-1 or 4-0.
India have held the Border-Gavaskar Trophy since 2017 and Australia will hope to break a 19-year drought on Indian soil. It was in 2004 that Australia last conquered the 'final frontier', winning a four-match series 2-1.
That was Australia's first series win in India since 1969. Since then, the Aussies have lost all four Test series that they have played in India.