India are chasing their third straight Test series victory in Australia. (PHOTO: AP)
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has reportedly scrapped a three-day intra-squad game between the men’s cricket team and the India A team at the WACA ahead of the start of the five-Test Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
The three-day intra-squad game was supposed to be the only warm-up match that the Indian cricket team played in Australia before they faced the mighty Australian side in five Tests. The closed-door game was supposed to be played from November 15 to November 17.
The team will instead focus on training sessions during those three days, according to reports in ESPNCricinfo and the Press Trust of India. The training session will have net sessions and centre wicket match simulation scenarios at the WACA.
Rohit Sharma’s men will play the first Test against Australia at Perth as they chase a third straight Test series victory in Australia. The first Test will be played from November 22.
The Test series against Australia will also have ramifications on which team qualifies for the World Test Championship: India need four wins from six at least, including the Mumbai Test while Australia require five off seven to seal the top spot.
In Australia, Rohit Sharma and Co will look to move on from their series defeat at the hands of New Zealand at home. They’re currently down 0-2 in the series, with the third Test underway at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium.
The team had begun its last tour of Australia with a three-day game against Australia A. In the series before that, in the 2018-19 series, the Indian cricket team had faced Cricket Australia XI in a four-day game.
A report in PTI said that as the bounce of the WACA centre strip resembles that of the Perth Stadium track, all the top order batters for the visiting team would prefer more time in the middle.
The 15-player India A side, which is being led by Ruturaj Gaikwad, has been in Australia since last month to play four-day matches against Australia A in Mackay and the MCG.
