Australia’s Test squad couldn’t have asked for more pertinent conditions in North Sydney on Sunday morning as preparations ramped up ahead of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
It was sticky and humid for the short pre-series training camp at Bon Andrews Oval, closely resembling what they can expect to encounter in India next month.
“Beautiful. About 31 degrees was it? That’s about Nagpur,” Australian coach Andrew McDonald laughed, wiping sunscreen and sweat from his forehead.
Watch India v New Zealand. Every T20I & ODI live & ad-break free during play on Kayo. New to Kayo? Start your free trial now >
More importantly, the suburban venue’s pitch also replicated subcontinent conditions. A week earlier, Cricket Australia had requested that a raging turner be prepared ahead of the two-day “spin camp” at North Sydney’s secondary oval, and local ground staff delivered.
The pitch had been scratched and scarified until it mimicked wickets in Nagpur and Ahmedabad; artificial footmarks were present on both sides of the deck, as there would be on the fifth day of a Test match.
McDonald had nothing but praise for curator Kieran Meurant and the North Sydney Oval ground staff, who had essentially sacrificed a pitch to aid the Australian Test squad.
“The surfaces we got are very similar to what we‘re going to confront in India, which is very difficult to replicate,” McDonald said.
“We feel as though we’ve got close to that, so the ground staff have done a fantastic job.”
Australian spinners Ashton Agar, Todd Murphy and Mitchell Swepson were withdrawn from this weekend’s Big Bash League finals to refine their craft on this Frankenstein wicket.
The trio, each vying for a spot in Australia’s starting XI for the first Test in Nagpur, toiled away from the northern end using SG balls, varying their speed, length and angle of delivery. McDonald watched on from the non-striker’s end, with captain Pat Cummins occasionally providing feedback and insight.
They discussed the lines each bowler should target, where the ball should be released in particular conditions for certain batters and field placements that would complement their strategies.
It was a genuine workout, with players returning to the Cummingham Pavilion dripping in sweat. The coaching staff wanted the spinners to build their workloads after six weeks of T20 cricket, physically preparing them for India.
“You can’t just shift T20 into Test match cricket,” McDonald said.
“I’ve heard state coaches talk about it year on year out, switching from BBL back into Shield cricket and how difficult that is.
“Everyone appreciates how difficult that is, hence why we’re here now.”
Australia has no warm-up matches scheduled ahead of the first match in Nagpur, a decision former Test captain Michael Clarke branded “ridiculous”. Instead, Cummins and his teammates will undergo a specialised training camp in Bengaluru, where they can concentrate on individual skills and get ready for India’s spinning minefields in a controlled environment.
As reported by The Daily Telegraph, Australia was sabotaged in Sri Lanka last year when they were served up seaming practice wickets for a series played entirely on spinning decks. The BCCI has assured Cricket Australia it won’t be the same story in Bengaluru next week.
The Australian camp is also cautious of fatigue, wanting to ensure the squad isn’t burnt out before the fourth Test in Ahmedabad. Partly due to Covid-19 restrictions and the sport’s crowded calendar, Australia has not played a warm-up tour match in three years.
“We value freshness at the back end of the tour,” McDonald said. “We’ve seen teams go there before and spend a lot of energy at the front end.
“You never get guarantees over those practice game surface you get … we feel as though we can control the surfaces here. We feel as though we get a bit more control in Bangalore to replicate what we’re going to come up against and then we go into Nagpur fresh.
“Hopefully it pays dividends at the back end, not expend too much energy early.”
The biggest threat facing Australia’s batters is, of course, spin. India has a trio of talented tweakers among its ranks, each of whom boasts unrivalled records on home soil.
All-rounder Ravindra Jadeja, who tore a knee ligament during last year’s Asia Cup, returned from a five-month stint on the sidelines last week, taking 7-53 for Saurashtra in the Ranji Trophy. The 34-year-old was the leading wicket-taker during Australia’s most recent tour of India in 2017, taking 25 wickets in four matches.
Australia’s batters will rely on Agar and spin coach Daniel Vettori, both accomplished left-arm orthodox bowlers, to replicate Jadeja’s action before the Border-Gavaskar Trophy gets underway on February 9.
“We went through a lot of those scenarios,” McDonald said. “I think the new ball is the one that creates more of that slide and when the batters do get done on the inside … we‘re preparing for that.
“We‘ll expect the spinners to bowl early against our opening batters as well with the new ball so all that is taken care of in the training environment.
“The key to success there is to have a clear method and that will be individually based and depending on the conditions we’re confronted with.
“You’re never going to get exactly the same as you’re going to get in a game, and that’s one of the real complexities around preparing for a cricket tour. You’re never going to be able to match-up the same, but we can get close to that.”