CHENNAI: Former cricketer Mohammed Kaif feels that for the first time in a while the Indian team has had a few weeks time in the lead up to a Test series to prepare for a challenge.
Given the hectic schedule of Indian cricket, more often than not, the team has had quick turnarounds between formats and series in the past. India played a T20I in Brisbane on November 8 last year before arriving in Kolkata days ahead of a Test match against South Africa on November 14.
However, ahead of the two Tests against Sri Lanka, India had more than two weeks to regroup and prepare for the challenge. They even reached ten days earlier and played a warm-up match apart from three full days of training before travelling from Colombo to Galle where the first Test will begin on Saturday.
Kaif feels this time will give skipper Shubman Gill and the players time to adjust and show up when the Test match begins. "We have seen that after a long time, there has been a gap of two-three weeks before a Test match for the Indian team," he told this daily in an interaction facilitated by Sony Sports Network.
"This happens very rarely. When Shubman Gill came back from Australia to play a Test match at Eden Gardens against South Africa, I think they had 3-4 days to prepare. It's very difficult to switch from an Australian condition to an Indian condition on a turning track. But this time, we have got a lot of time. The Indian team has got two-three weeks. I could see the videos of Shubman Gill in Punjab, calling the bowlers on the turning track and batting. We have got such a rare chance in the Indian team. I think this Indian team is much more prepared compared to earlier Test series," he added.
It all will be put to Test at Galle when Gill and Co take the field against Sri Lanka in the first of the two Tests. Having lost to South Africa at home, India and Gill are under pressure to turn things around in red-ball cricket and stay alive in the World Test Championship race.
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