The “no tour game” rule for international trips, according to Australia’s head coach Andrew McDonald, will benefit his team during the four-match Test series in India in February-March.
Prior to the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, Australia is unlikely to play any tour games, thus they would be in India just one week before the first Test, which starts on February 9 in Nagpur.
Instead of arriving very early to play a warm-up game and acclimatise to the surroundings, the emphasis would be on maintaining mental and physical freshness, according to McDonald.
In India, Australia is attempting to win its first series in 19 years. Before going on international tours, we have traditionally played no tour games, according to McDonald, who was cited as stating in the Sydney Morning Herald.
“We believe that we don’t necessarily need that match practise. A week prior to the opening game, we will travel to India. Regarding the preparation, we didn’t want to push for too long.
They won a three-match series in Pakistan with a 1-0 score in March of last year using a similar strategy.
A week before the first Test in Rawalpindi, Australia’s hitters landed in Melbourne for a camp where they trained on scarified wickets.
Seven days, in our opinion, is enough time to prepare and ensure that we stay fresh for the entire four-match Test series, McDonald said.
“We went to Pakistan and had some success there. There, our time on the ground was brief. This time, before beginning the arduous journey, they have scheduled a three-day camp in Sydney for all players who were not selected for the Big Bash League finals.
“In our own circumstances, we can be innovative. With the Pakistan build-up in Melbourne, we’ve done it before. cleaning the wickets. suited for the job.
“Working with the neighbourhood groundskeepers, who truly support us across the nation. Without actually playing a practise game, we believe we can come as near as possible. Under Adam Gilchrist, Australia last won the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in India in 2004–2005.
They had a chance to win in 2017 as they started the tour with a victory in the first Test at Pune, but they lost 1-2 to the Virat Kohli-led team.
Prior to the Pune match, Australia spent nine days in India after a gruelling 10-day camp on specially designed pitches at the ICC academy in Dubai. With worries regarding the fitness of all-rounder Cameron Green and speed spearhead Mitchell Starc, Australia’s head coach further suggested that a sizable team will be travelling to India. “Yeah, with the time frames I’ve been given, I’m convinced he (Green) will be fit… Making sure we can be innovative with his training to ensure his body is in good shape will be the challenge.
However, given the medical staff’s excellent performance in the most recent game, “we feel as though we’re optimistic he’ll be fit for that first Test match. The tour may also feature performers including Todd Murphy, Mitchell Swepson, and Peter Handscomb.
According to McDonald, “Matt Renshaw coming in again in Test cricket has had some success there before.”
“There is another one that is coming back into the Test fold in debate. Pete Handscomb, without a doubt, would consider himself unlucky not to be in that conversation for Sydney.
Marcus Harris is also among us. Therefore, we believe we have test experience at that depth. Some would argue that those have a little older age distribution and perhaps fewer children, but we believe that the exposure is valuable.
“With the performances he’s given, Todd is raising his hand. In the past, Mitch Swepson had good results in the subcontinent.
“If that makes sense, sometimes the second spinner isn’t the best next spinner. It’s the one that enhances what you already have.
