New Delhi: The Indian cricket team have cancelled their three-day intra-squad match with the 'A' side ahead of the upcoming tour to Australia for the highly anticipated Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024.
The India A squad-led by Ruturaj Gaikwad is currently playing an unofficial Test match with the Australia A squad while the senior cricket team is taking on New Zealand in the third and final Test of the three-Test series at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. The Rohit Sharma-led side is expected to reach Australia on November 12 with the first Test of the BGT Trophy scheduled to start from November 22.
The Indian cricket team management wants to focus on additional net practice to prepare for the marquee five-match showdown starting November 22 in Perth. The decision came after Men in Blue first lost the Test in Bengaluru and then had to face defeat in Pune and lost the series 2-0 with a game remaining in the series. Winning the first Test, New Zealand registered their first-ever victory in India after 36 years and now they have ended India's 12-year-old Test series winning streak at home and recorded their first-ever Test series win in India in 69 years. They end India's record streak of 18 consecutive home series wins, becoming the first away team to win a men's Test series in India since England in 2012-13.
However, according to the PTI, head coach Gautam Gambhir and some senior players want more time in the nets instead of a dress rehearsal. Since the bounce of the WACA centre pitch resembles that of the Perth Stadium track, all top-order batters would prefer more time in the middle, the report added.
An intra squad match might not work in that scenario as if a batter gets out cheaply, then he might not immediately get a chance to bat again on the centre strip. This marks a change from India's last two tours of Australia when the side played practice games ahead of the main series.
In the lead-up to the 2018-19 series, the 'Men in Blue' played a four-day match against Cricket Australia XI. For the 2020-21 tour, they started the red-ball leg with a three-day game against Australia A.
