“We no longer trust,” Ian Healy takes a dig at India ahead of Gavaskar-Border Trophy
Ian Healy explained the reason behind the decision and also took a dig at India for not preparing spin-friendly tracks for the tour games.
Follow Us
Ian Healy takes a dig at India ahead of Gavaskar-Border Trophy
Australia have prepared a spin-friendly pitch in Sydney like the Indian surfaces for a two-day practice session ahead of the much-awaited Gavaskar-Border Trophy. Head coach Andrew McDonald believes it will help them with one of their biggest challenges, that is, winning a Test series in India. They have done the same before the Pakistan tour last year.
Australia have opted out from a tour game in India in the build-up to the first Test because they feel that the tracks prepared for tour games are different from that of actual matches in India. They have snubbed the regular tour games ahead of the actual Tests in the recent overseas series they played.
The legendary Australian wicket-keeper Ian Healy explained the reason behind the decision and also took a dig at India for not preparing spin-friendly tracks for the tour games. Before him, Australia batter Usman Khawaja had brought up this.
“Have you ever been pre-tour with us (Australia)? They can be spinning wickets when we play but we go to the practice matches and they are green Gabba-like wickets out there (in India), so what’s the point,” Khawaja had said during a press conference earlier this month. Steve Smith also claims that the last time they visited India, they were served a green pitch to practice on.
Related: Australia prepares special spinning pitches to train before Gavaskar-Border Trophy
Ian Healy believes home teams deny touring teams quality preparations
Healy backed Khawaja’s suggestion. “We’ve gathered our spinners in Sydney for strategic talks (on replica India surfaces)…we no longer trust that the requested facilities will be provided for a nation,” Healy said on SEN Radio on Monday.
Healy also believes that England had also sent their ‘weakened County teams’ as Australia’s opposition before the England series. He added that the home teams deny touring teams quality preparations before highly anticipated series, which, “I don’t like it. It’s disappointing to watch such dismantling of trust between cricket’s nations and it needs to stop.” But he expressed having a tour game between the second and third Test in India.
Pat Cummins and his men will reach Bengaluru next week, where they’ll stay for five days, before the high-octane clash between the two teams on February 9, in Nagpur. Australia haven’t won a Test series in India since 2004/05.
In case you missed:
Stay Updated!
Gouri Das
(4721 Articles Published)