Australia will head into next year’s five-Test Border-Gavaskar Trophy without playing a warm-up match, with the team instead opting for a dedicated preparation camp as it looks to maximise its preparation for the demanding tour of India.
The decision continues a strategy Australia has favoured on recent subcontinent tours, with the coaching staff placing greater value on extended training in conditions that closely resemble those expected during the series than on a conventional practice fixture.
Preparation camp takes priority
Speaking to cricket.com.au, Australia Head Coach Andrew McDonald said: “We feel as though we’ve got enough time to immerse ourselves in those conditions. We won’t be taking on a practice game. It’ll just be more around the location. We’ve got a couple of options there. We have gone to the UAE previously and we have also gone into India last time into Bangalore, so we’re just working through what that would look like in terms of how we then manage the individuals.”
Australia followed a similar approach before its 2023 tour of India by holding a training camp near Bengaluru, while a pre-series camp in Dubai preceded last year’s Test series in Sri Lanka. The location for the upcoming India preparations has yet to be finalised, with the UAE remaining one of the options under consideration.
McDonald explained: “Ultimately, if you can have a dedicated venue that you’re able to use and replicate as close to the conditions that you believe you may get in the first Test match or throughout a Test series, that’s ideally what you want.”
He added: “You case those locations – you want a connection in terms of conditions and climate. We believe we’ll get that right in terms of where we go, it just hasn’t been confirmed yet.”
Squad planning extends beyond selection
Australia’s planning for India will continue throughout the home Test series against New Zealand, with the coaching staff expecting the touring squad to differ from the group that finishes that campaign.
McDonald said: “A lot of that would happen on the back of the four Tests against New Zealand, seeing where players are at. We’ll potentially have some different players with different skill sets that we believe can perform in India, so it won’t necessarily be the squad that finishes the Test series (against NZ that then heads to India).”
Players viewed as strong candidates for Indian conditions are expected to begin preparing before the New Zealand series concludes, with some balancing those plans against Big Bash commitments. Cricket Australia Chair of Selectors George Bailey has also previously indicated fringe Test players could be redirected towards Australia A duties in India rather than other international commitments as preparations gather pace.
McDonald added: “There’ll be some players that we need to put a little bit more prep into, and that’ll start in Australia also, balancing out Big Bash commitments and things like that.”
Flexible approach to warm-up matches
While Australia has decided against a tour game before the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, McDonald stressed that the decision reflects the demands of this particular schedule rather than a blanket policy against practice matches.
He said: “We don’t always take the opportunity to play warm-up games or first-class games on the entry, and that’s probably because we haven’t traditionally had the space and time, and also we’ve had an experienced group.”
Australia is still planning warm-up fixtures before future Test tours of South Africa and England, although preparations for the Ashes could also be influenced by whether the team qualifies for the World Test Championship final. McDonald noted that players are also likely to arrive for future overseas tours from different competitions and preparation programmes around the world.
He added: “We’re not against practice games as long as they can fit in. That’s always the hard part with a schedule that that does get compressed. We feel like a game on a Test venue against a quality opponent potentially is the best thing for that (UK) tour.”
Australia’s five-Test Border-Gavaskar Trophy campaign is scheduled to begin in Nagpur on January 21 before continuing through Chennai, Guwahati and Ranchi, with the series concluding in Ahmedabad in early March.
