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Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar has criticized the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) for its lack of preparation ahead of the Test series against Australia. Gavaskar expressed his discontent over the reduction of the traditional match against the Australian Prime Minister’s XI to just two days.
The Indian cricket team has secured victories in their last two tours of Australia, winning the 2018-19 and 2020-21 series by a 2-1 margin. The Men in Blue are aiming for another series win in the upcoming five-match Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) 2024-25.
During their tour, Team India will play a day-night Test in Adelaide from December 6 to 10. They will also have a two-day warm-up game between the first and second Tests. This day-night warm-up match against the Prime Minister’s XI is scheduled to take place in Canberra, starting on November 30.
Sunil Gavaskar advocated for resting senior players, suggesting that younger squad members would gain more from a comprehensive first-class game. He stressed that the team’s primary objective in Australia should be to play competitive cricket, rather than merely taking a break.
“The news that the regular match for touring teams against the Australian Prime Minister’s XI has been reduced to a 2-day game is a disappointing one. By all means, rest the seniors and let them not even travel to Canberra for the game but give the newer younger players a proper first-class game rather than a 2-day game which will be neither here nor there. After all, the team are going there to play cricket and not to take rest,”Sunil Gavaskar wrote in his column for Mid-day.
Australia will seek to regain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy for the first time since 2017. The series kicks off with the first Test in Perth from November 22-26. Adelaide will host the day-night Test, while the remaining three Tests will be held in Brisbane, Melbourne, and Sydney.
Sunil Gavaskar has called on the BCCI to extend the practice game against the Prime Minister’s XI to three days. The former cricketer-turned-commentator argued that a longer practice session would be advantageous for the less experienced Indian players, providing them with better preparation for the demanding series against Australia.
“The Australians are thirsting for revenge and the Indians will have to be razor sharp to get a hat-trick of series wins there. There’s still time to change it to a 3-day game and give the younger inexperienced players a better chance to succeed against the World Test Champions. C’mon BCCI, you can do it,” Gavaskar insisted.
India A is set to play a series of four-day matches against Australia A. The opening match will be held at the Great Barrier Reef Arena in Mackay from October 31 to November 1, followed by a second match at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Additionally, the Indian Test squad will compete in an intra-squad game against India A in Perth from November 15 to 17.
