India’s bold decision to skip a traditional warm-up match ahead of the high-stakes Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 against Australia has sparked a debate among the cricket fraternity, with former England captain Michael Vaughan questioning the sense behind the move.
As the much-anticipated five-match Test series is set to kick off at the Optus Stadium in Perth on November 22, Michael Vaughan and others are wondering if the Indian cricket team’s unconventional approach might backfire in Australia this time around.
Michael Vaughan questions Indian cricket team’s unconventional preparation for Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25
Unlike their previous successful tours Down Under, where warm-up matches against Australia A served as crucial preparation, the Indian cricket team has opted for a different approach this time for the much-anticipated Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25.
The tourists canceled their scheduled three-day intra-squad match with the India ‘A’ team and a clash with an Australian domestic side. Instead, the Indian head coach, Gautam Gambhir, and the team management opted for the match simulations at the iconic WACA in Perth.
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On their last two tours, India’s preparatory games proved instrumental in setting the tone for their historic Test series victories. The 2020/21 tour witnessed the Indian team’s dramatic turnaround, while the 2018/19 campaign saw their first-ever Test series win in Australia.
Now, with no warm-up games to acclimatize, the Indian cricket team is banking on rigorous training sessions to prepare for the fierce challenge posed by the Australian cricket team in the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25.
Eager to see how India would get into a “competitive mindset” without intra-squad game: Michael Vaughan
However, Michael Vaughan stressed that match simulation may not match the intensity and unpredictability of real-game scenarios, so he feels the Indian cricket team is potentially undercooked against a fired-up Australian side that is eager to reclaim the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
Ahead of the Perth Test, starting on November 22, Michael Vaughan expressed his surprise over India’s decision to play only an intra-squad game instead of a proper warm-up match before their high-voltage Test series against Australia. He questioned how they could prepare for the competitive challenges of such a high-profile Test series with this approach.
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Michael Vaughan was quoted as saying by Fox Cricket, “I can’t get my head around a team like India only wanting to play an intra-squad game leading into a series against Australia in their own backyard. I just can’t see how you get yourself in that competitive mindset of consequence by playing an intra-squad game. Time will tell.”
I just like to see teams win and stick a marker down: Michael Vaughan
The Indian team management believed that the WACA center strip closely resembled the bounce of the Perth Stadium pitch, so they felt it would be advantageous for the top-order batters to spend additional time practicing in those conditions instead of playing warm-up games. And Vaughan expressed his amazement at the modern players’ mindset.
Vaughan signed off by saying, “I’m surprised that this Indian side didn’t want at least one game of cricket, and the WACA’s the perfect venue because it’s a similar pitch to Optus (Stadium), so you get used to the bounce. The modern player maybe believes that they don’t need (tour matches). They think they get enough cricket throughout the year, and they can react and just adapt. I just like to see teams win and stick a marker down.”
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