Team India’s decision to cancel their practice match in Australia has drawn criticism from legendary cricketer Sunil Gavaskar. The team had initially planned to play a warm-up game against India A at the WACA ground before their opening Test match against Australia, which begins on November 22 at Perth Stadium.
Gavaskar expressed his disbelief at the decision, stating that the batters needed the practice game, especially given their struggles against New Zealand at home. He pointed out that despite scoring over 400 in the second innings of the first Test in Bangalore, the Indian batters looked clueless in the subsequent innings against a spin attack that was not particularly dangerous.
Gavaskar emphasized the importance of playing in real practice matches over just facing bowlers in net sessions. He acknowledged that some may argue that ‘A’ team bowlers might hold back against top players in practice games to avoid injuries, but he countered that in the nets, batters often face less prepared pitches and bowlers who sometimes bowl no-balls without penalty.
He also highlighted the benefits for bowlers in playing proper matches, such as getting into a proper rhythm with their run-up and gaining confidence in not overstepping. He stressed that line and length are also aspects that can be learned in a proper game rather than in the nets.
Gavaskar concluded by expressing his hope that the decision to cancel the warm-up game and reduce the match between the first and second Test against the Australian Prime Minister’s XI to two days would prove to be the right one for Indian cricket. However, he emphasized that the batters and bowlers would have benefited greatly from the additional practice and match experience.
