Australia's cricket captain Pat Cummins. (Photo | AP)
CHENNAI: Given the fact that they last won a Test series in India in 2004-05, Australia is leaving no stone unturned to change the script this time around. With no warm-up games ahead of the four-match Border-Gavaskar Trophy, the Aussies had a short pre-series camp on a spin-friendly track in Sydney with SG balls. And to get the feel of India they are having a short stint at Bengaluru after their arrival on Wednesday before shifting to Nagpur, the venue of the first Test starting from February 9.
The Aussies will train at the KSCA Cricket Ground in Alur, Bengaluru (Karnataka) before shifting to Nagpur. The four-day camp for the visiting team in Alur will be held under the watchful eyes of the National Cricket Academy (NCA). "We are only providing them the facilities in Alur but the camp will be arranged and looked after by the NCA," said a Karnataka State Cricket Association office-bearer.
"The schedule and other requests made by the Australian team management are known only to NCA. They are in direct touch with the NCA authorities," he added.
India holds the trophy as they won the series 2-1 Down Under in 2020-21.
The Vidarbha Cricket Association (VCA), which will host the first Test, also confirmed that the side captained by pacer Pat Cummins will train in Bengaluru before reaching Nagpur. "They are expected to reach here (Nagpur) on February 6. Given their itinerary known to us so far, they will train here on February 7 and 8. However, we are expecting to get a final confirmation soon as we too have to make arrangements including security, practice pitches and other things," said a VCA source.
With the series crucial for the Rohit Sharma-led side as it will determine their place in the World Test Championship final, the Aussies can expect quite a few challenges from the hosts — the prominent among them will be facing Indian tweakers on surfaces aiding them. So it's a no-brainer that they apparently would like to have the turning tracks at the Three Ovals KSCA Stadium in Alur.
The second Test is scheduled in Delhi from February 17 to 21. Dharamsala will host the third match beginning on March 1 while the fourth and last Test will be held in Ahmedabad from March 9 to 13.
Australia will also play three ODIs — the first to be played in Mumbai on March 17. The second and third 50-over matches will be played in Visakhapatnam and Chennai on March 19 and 22 respectively.
