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Under-fire Cricket Australia defends preparation for tour after India race away with Border-Gavaskar Trophy
Among the many criticisms being levelled at Australia is the fact that they had decided not to play a tour game in India while preparing for the four-match Test series.
Australia have conceded the Border-Gavaskar Trophy to India for a fourth consecutive time after going 2-0 behind in their four Test series in the country. There was much talk about their preparations coming into the series, especially the fact that they had chosen to not play a tour game in the country and instead, stay back home and practice on doctored pitches that could mimic the spinning conditions found in India. Australia had even employed an Indian bowler whose action was similar to India's spin spearhead Ravichandran Ashwin.
However, none of the ploys worked for the visitors as their second innings in both matches fell in a heap. While their first innings in the first Test was a disaster as well, they fared much better in the second, particularly on Day 2 of the match at the end of which they arguably had their noses in front. But their batters' meek surrender on the third day took out any possibility of Australia challenging India's long-standing dominance in Test cricket in home conditions.
Among the criticism levelled at the Australian camp since the defeat in the second Test has been the fact that they decided not to play a tour game in India before the series and the fact that they were playing the Big Bash League instead. However, Cricket Australia's high-performance manager Ben Oliver has stated that the squad was more comfortable with the way they had built up towards the series.
“No, I don’t think so. There’s a range of factors that go into the design and preparation for the series, and the players and the staff and the selectors all work together to design that preparation,” Oliver told The Age.
"In some circumstances, it may be appropriate for tour matches, in others not so, and certainly in this case, the group was comfortable with the preparation leading in and the conditions that they were seeking. In fact, I think the involvement of those players that did take part in the Big Bash League was overwhelmingly positive for Australian cricket."
Former Australia wicketkeeper Ian Healy is among many former players from both countries who said that the visitors' decision to not play a tour game before the series has had a detrimental effect. “Never again tell me we’re not playing a tour match to begin, at least two, there’s no shortcuts to Test match success,” Healy said on SENQ Breakfast.
