New Delhi:
After India’s humiliating defeat to New Zealand that saw them losing a home test series after 12 years, India cricket legend Sunil Gavaskar was not pleased with the team’s preparation for the upcoming series against Australia, where the Rohit Sharma-led side are scheduled to play five test matches.
The Border-Gavaskar Test series is an important one for the Indian team as they aim to retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) for the fifth time in a row while also sealing a historic hat-trick of series victories on Australian soil. Meanwhile, India needs win four matches to qualify for the World Test Championship (WTC) Final without depending on other results.
Ahead of the first Test match against Australia on November 22 at the Optus Stadium in Perth, India were scheduled to play a three-day warm-up match against India ‘A’ at the iconic WACA Stadium. However, the match has been cancelled, with India instead opting for centre wicket match simulation.
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Sunil Gavaskar’s Reaction
The decision has left Sunil Gavaskar annoyed, who criticized the move and claimed that batting in the nets cannot replicate the pressure of batting in match.
“That is why the cancellation of the team’s warm-up game in Perth against the India ‘A’ team beggars belief. There is no better feeling for a batter to spend time out in the centre and feel the ball hit the middle of the bat. No amount of net practice is ever going to replace that feeling of flow and bat speed that one gets even after a short stay at the crease. India have invariably lost the first Test match of tours to the SENA countries. After that it’s an uphill climb which the team did successfully on the previous tour. That’s why it was important for them to play a warm-up game even if it is against their own ‘A’ team.
“Yes, there’s a possibility that the ‘A’ team new ball bowlers may not go flat out because of the worry of injuring a key batter, but that’s more likely to happen in the nets where the pitches are usually not as well prepared as in a match and where the bowlers bowl no-balls without any repercussion. The batters know that in the nets they can be dismissed three or more times and yet continue to bat and then play with no tension or pressure at all. So temperamentally it’s never going to be the same as playing in a proper match,” wrote Gavaskar to Mid-Day.
