‘Focus is to acclimatise both younger and experienced players to Australian conditions’: Abhishek Nayar on Team India's preparations for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy
Team India's assistant coach Abhishek Nayar provided insights into the team's preparations for the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia.
Nayar highlighted in a recent video posted by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), he said that the focus is to acclimatise both younger and experienced players to the challenging Australian conditions.
"Just before we came to Australia, Gauti bhai (Gautam Gambhir), Rohit (Sharma), we had a discussion on what we wanted out of these three days. The idea was to try and make sure that for the younger and experienced guys to give them a lot of time in the centre, to adapt, to understand," Nayar said.
The training regimen, designed to simulate match conditions, allowed players to get a feel of the pitch and environment. Nayar emphasised the importance of understanding and adapting to the conditions, especially since this was the first time in four years that India was playing Test cricket in Australia.
"We are coming and playing Test cricket (in Australia) after four years. So initially, we got the guys to come in and had it like a game where you are done once you get out. But then we tried to give them another chance the second time around. We felt that the second time around the guys adapted better, they understood the conditions better, were a lot more comfortable. We got what we wanted out of it," Nayar elaborated.
The second day of training was dedicated to the bowlers, with an emphasis on building up workloads and honing their game sense.
"Day 2 was about our bowlers coming in and bowling spells, getting up the workloads and bowling 15 overs each. Boom (Jasprit Bumrah) bowled 18 (overs), a couple others bowled 18 (overs). So it was just about getting the guys into game sense," Nayar added.
As Team India gears up for the Test series, these meticulous preparations aim to equip the players with the necessary skills and confidence to tackle the formidable Australian side on their home turf.
After the series opener in Perth on November 22, the second Test, featuring the day-night format, will take place under lights at Adelaide Oval from December 6 to 10. Fans will then turn their attention to The Gabba in Brisbane for the third Test from December 14 to 18.
The traditional Boxing Day Test, scheduled from December 26 to 30 at Melbourne's iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground, will mark the series' penultimate stage.
The fifth and final Test will be held at the Sydney Cricket Ground from January 3 to 7, promising an exciting climax to a highly anticipated series.
