It’s 33 degrees in the shade, it hasn’t rained in three months, and the ball is spinning. With just 100 days until the release of the next Ashes series, Australia can’t think of a better way to prepare for a trip to England in June.
When they arrive in Edgbaston on June 16th, they certainly won’t consider the three oddballs in their lineup.
Yet all solutions must be considered while they continue to be tested in India. They haven’t won a series in the country since the exploits of Damien Martin and Jason Gillespie in 2004, but have come close often, losing a four-game series 2-1 in their last two visits. returned and did not play cricket for six days. After Bazball XI took the world by storm, Australia suddenly became Ash’s second favorite again.
But before they can think of a green seamstress in Birmingham, they will have to find a way to get at least one test match in India on day four, let alone win one.
1. Survive early
“India is probably the hardest place in the world to start your innings,” said Steve Smith, who failed to score double figures in the second Test but will lead the team with Pat Cummins unable to come out from the stands due to a family emergency.
“When you hit 30-40 balls, you can read the wicket and the pace of the wicket.
“There are also surprises. Some balls will slide. Some balls are spinning. There is always something going on. You really need to concentrate.”
2. Get better prepared
Conditions in India are as varied as can be, largely due to Australia’s unusually wet spring and summer. Yet the tourists at the first test in Nagpur were strangely lacking in representative red ball cricket, with Smith himself warming up to the series with five Big Bash matches. Todd Murphy, Australia’s debutant, has made just seven top-flight appearances in his career, not to mention India.
“The wickets were low and slow and it was quite difficult to adapt to world-class players,” said Nathan Soatar, a Durham foot player who was born and raised in New South Wales but started his bowling career in England.
“Australia opted for the no-show method, which could have been critical in preparation for the rotation, but they were probably worried about getting the green stitch or something.
“Sometimes you ask a lot of players – especially now when there isn’t a lot of red ball cricket these days – to really develop their skills. Murphy plays seven games, which is quite a lot compared to the other guys on the tour when you think about it.
3. “One giant mental game” for weirdos
Even for a man like Nathan Lyon, statistically the second biggest bowler in Australia after the late great Shane Warne, “it’s not easy.” [Ravi] Ashwin and [Ravindra] Jadeja, who are amazing and have been doing it for years under these circumstances.”
Soutar adds: “It’s just a huge mental game. Under other circumstances, you are not expected to win test matches. You think [in India] You have an incredible opportunity to do so.
Murphy did his best by scoring 7-124 on his debut, but Australia scored 91 in the second innings to lose the first Test by the minute. Lyon entered Delhi with five wickets in the first innings but conceded again.
4. Big hundreds
“World class players like Smith and [Marnus] Labuschagne didn’t get the big hundreds you have to make in India if you want to win first on the rolls like they did,” says Soutar.
“They have a perfect script in both friendlies and they didn’t convert their lead in the first inning so you’re behind the eight.”
The trial spin continues in Indore, where players and selectors are curiously looking around the field this week in hopes of finding something else under cover. They are very disappointed.
“This is very similar to the previous two,” Smith said. “From a depth of six meters, it’s pretty dry at both ends. I dare say that as the game progresses, this will take a fair spin. I’m not sure how much it costs to start with. We will wait.”