The Australian Cricket team is set to tour India for a four-match Border-Gavaskar Trophy in February 2023. The Aussies are currently taking on South Africa at their home in a three-match Test series and are leading 2-0 with a game to go. However, ahead of the Indian tour, Aussie head coach Andrew McDonald gave a big statement.
Speaking to Sydney Morning Herald, McDonald stated that his team does not need a practice match ahead of the Test series against India. "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," McDonald said to Sydney Morning Herald.
Australia used a similar approach during their away Test series against Pakistan in 2022. They won the three-match series by 1-0. The Aussie batters practised on pitches in a camp in Melbourne and reached the South Asian nation a week before the first test match.
"We feel as though seven days is ample time to get ready and to make sure we maintain freshness throughout the whole four Test match series. We had some success doing that, going to Pakistan. We had a shortened period on the ground there,″ McDonald added. The coach added, "We can be creative in our own conditions. We’ve done it before with the Pakistan build-up in Melbourne. Dusting up wickets. Fit for purpose."
Australia had last defeated India in a Test series in 2004-2005. They came close to winning in 2017 when they won the first Test but lost the series by 2-1. Meanwhile, India have defeated Australia in their past two meetings in Australia.
Inputs from PTI.
