Practice games used to be hitherto seen by visiting teams as an ideal preparation to get used to the tough Indian conditions. No longer though. Australia will play the first Test in Nagpur on February 9 without any tour games; instead they will have a four-day preparatory camp at Alur, in the outskirts of Bangalore. Pat Cummins’ Australian team has arrived on Indian shores, hoping to become the first captain since Alastair Cook’s England side in 2012 to win a series here.
Instead of the practice games, Australia will train on customised pitches at Alur. Thanks to head coach Andrew McDonald and spin consultant Daniel Vettori’s association with Royal Challengers Bangalore, it is understood that Australia thought having a preparatory camp for four days would be ideal preparation before they travel to Nagpur.
With R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj waiting, Australia will have customised pitches that will test their batsmen and bowlers at Alur. It is understood that Australia will train on different sorts of scuffed-up pitches — slow turner, rank-turner, one with variable bounce – to get acclimated to the conditions that they are likely to encounter at Nagpur, Delhi and Ahmedabad. With Dharamsala pitch mostly suiting the seamers, it is understood that they have a green pitch also in place.