In the past, the traveling team would be asked to play practice matches wherever they played Test matches with any team. But nowadays they say that training games are not necessary. The first example of this is the Indian team. Because you can’t play a practice game on a tight schedule, and there are many reasons why an injury to a key player in a practice game can ruin the series.
But the reason why the Australian team, which has come to India to play the 4-Test series, has said no to the practice match is completely different. Australia’s star player Steve Smith has accused the BCCI of giving ‘green top’ pitches in practice matches and then wiping his eyes and turning the spin balls horribly in Test matches. That’s why the Australian team is training with Ashwin’s duplicate this time saying they don’t want to play the practice match.
A pitch green top from a practice match at Brabourne Stadium during the last 2017 series. But after that, when the first Test match was played in Pune, they pitched a spin pitch and called it a ‘turner’ pitch, Smith’s allegation.
In other words, the practice match is unnecessary because they will divert us by throwing irrelevant pitches in the practice match and throw hard spin pitches in the test matches. It’s best to practice, says Smith. So Australia’s position this time is that we are better off playing on our own in net training.
India’s lead spinner Ashwin responded to Smith’s comments, saying, “Australia have not played a practice match this time, but this is nothing new. We have also avoided a tour game during some overseas series due to close fixtures.
Smith is right. Yes. Big spin pitch in Pune. They could have been given a green top pitch. But no one does this by planning. But we only know about Australia team players! They play mind games before the series. They will sledge. They like doing and saying this. That is their style of cricket”. Said Ashwin.
