Indian team opts for a four-day practice game ahead of the first Test against Australia

The Indian team, before playing their first Test against Australia at the Adelaide Oval starting December 6th, has opted for a four-day warm-up match instead of a three-day game. The first of the four Tests begins at Adelaide with the subsequent games to be played at Perth, Melbourne, and Sydney.

According to reports, the lone practice match which was about to start on November 29th will now start on November 28th. The Indian team management has sustained widespread criticism on not scheduling practice matches ahead of an overseas Test series. On the English tour earlier this year, where moving ball was a big factor, the team decided to settle for a three-day practice game and the batsmen as a result took longer to get accustomed to the conditions.

In January, the team decided against playing any practice match ahead of the South Africa series. The Indian team ended up on the losing side in both the Test series which otherwise could have been different if they were better prepared. In a first-class match, only eleven players are allowed to play whereas the visiting team gets to try out all its players in a three-day unofficial match.

India out to identify their best playing eleven

It will be a great opportunity for the Men in Blue to identify their best playing eleven ahead of the first Test. It will also test the likes of Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Shami, and Ravichandran Ashwin who will have little international cricket behind them for a month or so.

Ajinkya Rahane, Rohit Sharma, Prithvi Shaw, Murali Vijay, and Parthiv Patel will fly in from New Zealand after having played a four-day game for India A, just a week before.

While experts believe that Australia are in for an infamous drubbing at the hands of a formidable Indian team, however, one cannot ignore the unpredictability of the Australian side. 

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