‘Beggars belief’ were the words used by Sunil Gavaskar as he gave his first reaction to India’s decision not to play a practice match ahead of the start of the five-match Test series in Australia. Gavaskar couldn’t wrap his head around the fact that the team, which failed to chase 150 in the fourth innings in Mumbai recently against New Zealand on “pitches [that] were not impossible to play on”, decided to do away with the only three-day practice match as he believed that no amount of net practice will be equal to the match situation.
“There is no better feeling for a batter to spend time out in the centre and feel the ball hit the middle of the bat. No amount of net practice is ever going to replace that feeling of flow and bat speed that one gets even after a short stay at the crease,” Gavaskar wrote in his column for Mid-Day. India were supposed to take on the India A side in a three-day practice match ahead of the series opener in Perth but instead, have decided to opt for match simulation.
“If a batter gets out, he has to sit in the dugout for the whole day, you know, and he doesn’t get too much of batting done. Whereas in match simulation kind of a thing, you know, the batters can go out and play 50-70 balls and then if you feel that he’s had enough, we can retire him out and then get someone else in. So that is the plan,” Indian captain Rohit Sharma had said after suffering a 0-3 loss to New Zealand at home.
However, Gavaskar wasn’t in favour of the same saying that the batter will have no pressure in the nets as he can bat without the fear of getting out and hence, it will be never as same as playing in a match.
“The batters know that in the nets they can be dismissed three or more times and yet continue to bat and then play with no tension or pressure at all. So temperamentally it’s never going to be the same as playing in a proper match.” India will, however, play a two-day practice match in Canberra between the first and second Test to get accustomed to the pink ball before the Day-Night game in Adelaide.
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“For Indian cricket’s sake whoever has taken the call to do away with the warm-up game and then reduce the match between the first and second Test against the Australian Prime Minister’s XI to two days will be proven right,” Gavaskar further said.
