IND vs AUS Test LIVE: Following the prolonged home season, Australia are set to face India for a seven-match long Tour which includes four Test and three ODIs. The tour will get underway with four-match Test series with the first Test beginning on February 9. And ahead of the Test series, the Australian team has already fired shots. In recent, Steve Smith has backed coach Andrew Mc Donald’s ‘No practice game’ decision. Follow IND vs AUS LIVE updates with InsideSport.IN.
IND vs AUS Test LIVE: ‘It was irrelevant…..’ Steve Smith takes shot at hosts as he back Andrew Mc Donald’s ‘No practice game’ decision, reveals BIG reason behind the snub, Follow India vs Australia LIVE updates
Australia have decided not to play any practice game ahead of the 4-match Test series.
Speaking about the same Smith said, “The last time we went I’m pretty sure we got served up a green top (to practice on) and it was sort of irrelevant. We’re better off having our own nets and getting spinners in and bowling as much as they can. We’ll wait and see when we hit the ground. I think we’ve made the right decision to not play a tour match.”
Smith, though, resisted from calling the India tour the “final frontier.” for the team.
He said “It’s certainly huge. I don’t know if it’s the final frontier. India and England – our two opponents over the next six months – are probably our biggest as an Australian Test cricketer. We’ve got some challenges in front of us, but the guys are ready for it. I’ve never won (in India), I’ve been there twice. In fact, it’s been very difficult playing there.”
IND vs AUS Test: Australia to not play practice games
Australia will have a five-day camp before taking the field for the first Test against India in Nagpur on February 9th. Australia Coach Andrew McDonald while speaking about the decision to not play practice games said, “No tour game is something we’ve done in the last few series, before embarking on overseas tours. We feel as though we don’t need that match practice as such”.
“We’re going to go to India about a week out from the first game. We didn’t want to press for too much longer, in terms of the preparation.”
He added, “We’ve done it before with the Pakistan build-up in Melbourne. Dusting up wickets. Working with the local groundsmen who really help us in and around the country.We feel as though we can get as close to that as possible without necessarily having a practice game.”
Former Australia wicketkeeper Ian Healy while backing the decision of no practice games said that it was a good idea to assemble the touring party spinners in Sydney ahead of the tour to acclimatise them to replica India pitches.
Speaking on SEN Radio he said, “We’ve gathered our spinners in Sydney for strategic talks (on replica India surfaces)… we no longer trust that the requested facilities will be provided for a nation.”
IND vs AUS Test LIVE: ‘It was irrelevant…..’ Steve Smith takes shot at hosts as he back Andrew Mc Donald’s ‘No practice game’ decision, reveals BIG reason behind the snub, Follow India vs Australia LIVE updates
Australian team begins journey to India
Australia spinner Ashton Agar shared a post on his Instagram handle which showed Australia team jetting to India for the Border-Gavaskar series. In the story, Agar could be seen with Marnus Labuschagne, Travis Head, and Mitchell Swepson. The trio is holding glasses of orange juice as they pose for the photo. Australia have failed to win series in India since 2004-05 and looking to take back the Border-Gavaskar trophy.
Here’s the schedule for the IND vs AUS Test series
Test series
1st Test, IND vs AUS : February 9-13 in Nagpur
IND vs AUS 2ndTest: February 17-21 in Delhi
3rd Test, IND vs AUS : March 1-5 in Dharamshala
IND vs AUS 4th Test: March 9-13 in Ahmedabad
IND vs AUS Test LIVE: ‘It was irrelevant…..’ Steve Smith takes shot at hosts as he back Andrew Mc Donald’s ‘No practice game’ decision, reveals BIG reason behind the snub, Follow India vs Australia LIVE updates
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