Cricket great Ian Healy is bemused that Australia opted not to play any tour games in the lead-up to the Border-Gavaskar Test series in India.
Healy called out Australia’s decision at the time to back their own training in as ideal preparation, and he believes a lack of warm-up games in India has come back to cost them with the home side already retaining the series with wins in the first two Tests.
Noting the improvement in Australia from the first to second Test alone, Healy believes tour games would have allowed the team to adjust much quicker and be ready to go on Day 1 in Nagpur.
“We’ve been a different team in the second Test,” Healy said on SENQ Breakfast.
“Never again tell me we’re not playing a tour match to begin, at least two, there’s no shortcuts to Test match success.”
With that in mind, Healy listed his 10 reasons why Australia would have gotten value out of tour games.
Selection issues
“The selectors would have known what to do, rather than go with a pre-determined plan which goes against form lines,” Healy said on SENQ Breakfast.
“I.e., Travis Head is not part of our plan even though he’s the most in-form player, but that plan was over after one test.”
Getting Cummins used to captaining in India
“The captain won’t succumb to Indian chaos and be much more in command.
“He starts to learn about the pressures and how this opposition gangs up on you.”
Giving Warner time to adjust
“David Warner will have time to get his footwork going in one or two preparation matches.”
Adjusting to playing three spinners
“Playing with three spinners, we’ve got to get used to that.
“Playing with three spinners and minimal quicks, we’ve got to get used to that.”
Giving players time to shake off rust or T20 habits
“All players shake off their T20 habits or shake off rust.
“There are players that played T20 or didn’t play for a month – Cummins was one of those, Nathan Lyon was one of those and he shook it off this match, he wasn’t ready in the first Test.”
Giving batsmen time in the middle to score big
“The potential for big hundreds, I don’t care about the surface.
“There’s a potential there for time in the middle, big hundreds or at least hundreds for Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Alex Carey, they could have all made lots of runs and had time in the middle to work on all of their skills and plans they thought they’d take into the Test match series.”
Getting batting into the tail
“The tail end batting.
“Get some time in the middle into Cummins, (Todd) Murphy, Lyon.”
Learning how to break partnerships
“Breaking important partnerships.
“Every one of those Indian touring teams you play against form partnerships against you and they surprise, they can come from the ninth wicket, eighth wicket.
“You’ll get a chance to learn how to break them up and sustain pressure, get pressure back on them.”
Learning to bowl with the SG ball
“Get a feel for the new ball.
“They use a different ball over there, it’s an SG ball, it can be slippier or grippier.
“Get a feel for all of that, how it reacts, what speed to bowl it at for these slow wickets.”
Taking chances in the field
“Catching, sharp low catches.
“Half chances have to be taken against such a good team.
“We didn’t do that, we haven’t done it yet, but we’re getting a little better at it.
“We were a bit better in the second Test.”
Australia will hope to improve for the third Test which begins in Indore on March 1 (AEDT).