In advance of the next four-match Test series beginning on February 9, Australia decided not to play a warm-up game in India, and South African veteran Jonty Rhodes has spoken out in favor of that choice. He also endorsed the Australian batsman Steve Smith’s claim that “practice games in India are unimportant” and praised the foreigners for their “wise decision.” Prior to the opening Test in Nagpur, Australia has been practicing in Bangalore. Usman Khawaja had previously asserted that the fields utilized for exhibition games and real matches are different. Former Australian Ian Healy endorsed his claim as well.
“I’ve seen the practice pitches in India and it has a lot of footmarks. The main pitch is used for training purposes. These days all the teams play a lot of cricket and turning tracks are not limited to India. It is important how much time you spend there and how much you prepare, this helps you adapt to the conditions,” said Rhodes in an interview with Dainik Jagran. “I understand what (Steve) Smith wanted to say. He knows the practice pitches will be greener and the match will be played on the training pitch and Australia took a very smart decision. Players are playing all around the world and they have evolved into smart cricketers,” he further added.
The Australians have suffered a major setback with pacer Josh Hazlewood being ruled out of the first two Tests due to medical issues, which comes before of the crucial matchup against Men in Blue. Without Mitchell Starc, the visitors are already participating in the series. Both teams will need to win the Border-Gavaskar Trophy to guarantee their place in the World Test Championship championship game. India will have the advantage because they have won the last three Australian Test series (in 2017, 2018–19, and 2020–21) and are unbeaten at home since 2012. After the 2014–15 season, the No. 1 Test team in the world will attempt to defeat India in a Test series.