Ravi Shastri asks for Warm-up games before Australia tests

What's the story?

London, England - Indian Head Coach Ravi Shastri has revealed that he has asked BCCI for arranging a couple of Warm-up matches before the 4 match test series in Australia which begins on December 6th. Talking to ESPNCricinfo, Shastri also talked about how he was leaving England in a positive mindset even after India's 4-1 Test series loss.

There were reports about a review of the test series loss in England by the BCCI alongwith inputs by the Head Coach, but the latter has revealed that he has not received any sort of a communication about any review.

In case you didn't know..

When Virat Kohli, the Indian Captain, was interviewed by West Indies legend Michael Holding during the test series in England, Kohli expressed his dissatisfaction over Warm-up games. He said that often the opposition was of poor quality and the pitches were not the same, leading to a sub-standard quality of games.

He then stressed that instead of Warm-up games, he would always prefer high intensity training before the matches as it increases the stamina and physical capabilities of the players.

The Indian team was heavily criticized when they opted to skip the Warm-up matches before the 3 match test series in South Africa nine months ago.

The Heart of the Matter

The Indian team is being criticized over their lack of match preparation in the aftermath of the 4-1 test series loss against England. But Head Coach Shastri has got a point. The Indian team usually plays all formats when they tour overseas, and that leaves the team with a tight schedule.

Talking about the next overseas tour in Australia starting from November 21st, the T20 Internationals leave the team with just 10 days gap before the Tests begin on December 6th. Shastri said that he was open to playing a lower duration games with weaker oppositions as warm-up but it would be physically improper to play a full-fledged test warm-up match going into just 10 days before the first Test with Australia.

What's Next?

The Indian backroom staff,including Shastri, has been under heavy criticism after the recent test series loss. But the latter has dismissed rumours about any potential step-down by any staff member, as they look to fly back home from England with only positives in their minds.

Shastri also said that everyone was entitled to have opinions but he is not baffled by the response of the fans.

The Indian team next plays in the Asia cup, where they play their first match against rivals Pakistan, on 19th of September in Dubai. The Indian team will be without captain Virat Kohli as he has been rested after a tiring England tour, and Rohit Sharma has been tipped as the favourite to lead the squad in his absence.