The Australian team was keen on practising on the seemingly demonic Nagpur pitch after an innings defeat in the 1st Test, but their plans were cancelled as the Vidarbha Cricket Association's ground staff watered the surface.
According to a cricket.com.au report, the team has requested for the pitch to be kept intact so that they could get in some valuable practice. A VCA ground staff member, however, was observed hosing down the track following India's big win within three days.
Speaking to radio station SEN, coach Andrew McDonald insisted the planned session was not "naughty boy nets" but rather an opportunity for their batters to come to terms with "extreme" subcontinent conditions. Notably, the first Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy had ended within three days as the Australian batters failed to find a way to handle Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin as the spin duo together claimed 15 of the 20 wickets.
After winning the toss and opting to bat, the visitors managed to score 177 and were bowled out for a mere 91 in the second innings inside a single session on Saturday, giving India 1-0 lead in the four-match series.
India vs Australia: Test Series Schedule
- 2nd Test: Feb 17 - Feb 21 at Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi
- 3rd Test: Mar 01 - Mar 05 at Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium, Dharamsala
- 4th Test: Mar 09 - Mar 13, Monat Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad
Australia's Squad
Pat Cummins (c), Ashton Agar, Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Cameron Green, Peter Handscomb, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Usman Khawaja, Matt Kuhnemann, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Lance Morris, Todd Murphy, Matthew Renshaw, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, David Warner
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(Inputs IANS)
