Gavaskar criticizes BCCI's preparation for Australia tour, emphasizes team's focus on playing, not resting

After a 43-day break, Team India's cricket season will kick off again on September 19th with a two-Test series against Bangladesh, followed by three more Tests against New Zealand in October. However, all eyes are on India's upcoming tour of Australia for a five-Test series. The Border-Gavaskar Trophy is expected to be a thrilling competition, with India aiming for a historic hat-trick of wins on Australian soil, a feat never achieved before. On the other hand, the Australian team will be determined to reclaim the trophy for the first time since 2017. Cricket fans around the world are eagerly anticipating what promises to be an epic series between two cricketing giants.

For the first time since the 1992 tour, India will play five Tests in Australia, spread across Perth, Adelaide (day-night Test), Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney, an assignment that requires India to undergo a strenuous practice before embarking on one of their toughest Test tours. But as always, India risk the danger of going into the series undercooked as they will be playing nothing more than a warm-up match against the Australian Prime Minister's XI. Usually, this would have made a little more sense but the fact that the game has been trimmed by a day has Sunil Gavaskar questioning BCCI's lack of preparation for a Test series as challenging as in Australia.

"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," Gavaskar wrote in his column for Mid-day.

Gavaskar's plea

The Border-Gavaskar Trophy is still three months away, but it has already started to capture the imagination of fans and cricket personalities alike. Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting, in an early prediction, tipped the Aussies to win the series 3-1, while Ravi Shastri reckons a hat-trick for India is not deniable. Given what India have achieved the last two times they were in Australia, winning the 2018/19 tour 2-1 and then repeating it in 2020/21, a battle dubbed as arguably one of the greatest Test series of all time.

Three years ago, India went into the Test series better prepared, playing three ODIs, two T20Is and a practice match against Australia A, which may have ended in a draw but had given India enough match time to acclimatise to the conditions. With a few youngsters expected to be part of the squad, Gavaskar has urged the board to tweak the format of the practice game to boost India's chances.

"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.

Stay informed with the latest updates on live cricket score, cricket players, match schedules and ICC rankings. Keep an eye on your favourite cricket team, including the stellar performances of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. Check out the cricket schedule, track team standings and dive into player stats and rankings on Crickit, powered by Hindustan Times website and app.