Last Update: January 24, 2023, 15:27 IST
Former Australia captain Michael Clarke may lose his commentary contract for the Border Gavaskar Trophy
Clarke, who played 115 Tests and scored over 8,600 runs, said playing the 20-over or 50-over game in India was completely different from competing in the longest format, especially while countering spin.
Melbourne, Jan 24 (PTI) Former Australia captain Michael Clarke can’t fathom why Pat Cummins’ team is not playing practice or tour matches ahead of the Border-Gavaskar series starting next year. India On 9 February.
Australia will tour India for a four-Test series, with the opening game scheduled in Nagpur, and Clarke said not playing a tour game could have a “significant” impact on the outcome.
“I don’t understand this part (of not playing tour games),” Bigg quoted Clarke as saying. Play Tuesday breakfast.
“No tour games before the first Test in India. I hope I’m proven wrong but I think it’s going to be important.”
Clarke, who played 115 Tests and scored over 8,600 runs, said playing the 20-over or 50-over game in India was completely different from competing in the longest format, especially while countering spin.
“It needs a completely different plan than what you are playing in Australia, the way you start your innings against spin bowling, the way you play reverse swing, we haven’t had any reverse bowling during the Australian summer. Didn’t see swing, games were over in two, three days,” he said.
Former Australia wicketkeeper Ian Healy also expressed his surprise at the team’s recent absence from the tour, saying he was “a bit worried”.
Clarke said the prospect of India playing at least two spinners in the four-Test series could be in their favor considering the Australians are primarily playing fast bowlers.
“So reverse swing is going to play a big role (in India), all these batsmen who get out and play 130-140 bowlers – there is every chance that India are going to play at least two spinners. So it’s a completely different game. ,
Australia would probably arrive in India in the middle of next week, giving them about seven days to prepare for the grueling series, and Clarke felt that would not be enough.
“You need to bat in the best possible conditions (in India) because after that, if you haven’t grown up playing in those conditions, it is very difficult to open your innings,” he added.
“And if you go in, you need to go ahead and get a big score because your first 20 runs in India in the second innings, wow, one ball you go ahead and block easily against spin in Australia. Let’s say, there may roll on the ground, may jump up and take your glove.
“You can go out to block it and it bowls you leg stump, there’s massive natural variation out there.”
However, Australia’s head coach Andrew McDonald stated that the team had played quite a few series without tour games being part of the itinerary.
“We haven’t played a tour game in the last few series before going on overseas tours,” McDonald told SMH.
“We feel like we don’t need that much match practice. We’re going to India about a week out from the first game. We didn’t want to push ourselves too long in terms of preparation.
We feel that seven days is enough time to prepare and to ensure that we remain fresh throughout the four-Test series.”
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