Reports: India to play intra-squad warm-up tie at WACA behind closed doors

India to play intra-squad warm-up tie at WACA

The Indian contingent which has flown to Australia is reportedly set to play a warm-up match at the WACA in Perth, starting on Friday, November 15. However, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) denied any public viewing. This interesting development came a day after the Asian giants held their first practice session at the WACA, kick-starting their preparation for the impending Border-Gavaskar Trophy, which gets underway on November 22.

As per a report in The West Australian, India will have a three-day intra-squad warm-up match at the WACA, scheduled from Friday to Sunday. However, the general public won’t get a chance to witness the game as the BCCI has decided to keep it behind closed doors.

It is important to note that India started their practice for the Border-Gavaskar series with WACA under wraps, covered with black traps so that none of their training session can be seen from the street. The report further said that the West Australian cricket staff members were asked to not use their phones outside their offices and film inside the ground.

Also Check: WATCH: Yashasvi Jaiswal sends ball flying onto Perth street during India’s practice session

Virat Kohli misses first training session

The legendary Virat Kohli was absent for the first training session that the Indian team held in Australia. He was the first player from the Test squad to arrive in Australia, as he reached Perth on Sunday ahead of the departure of the rest of the teammates.

However, the former India skipper opted out of the first training session, which was reportedly an optional one. Apart from Kohli, star pacer Jasprit Bumrah and veteran off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin also skipped the session. However, the likes of KL Rahul, Yashasvi Jaiswal, and Rishabh Pant sweated it out in the nets. The former seems to be the frontrunner to fill in for Rohit Sharma at the top of the order as the Indian captain did not travel with the team to Australia. Rohit is likely to miss the first Test as he is expecting the birth of his second child with wife, Ritika Sajdeh.

The coveted Border-Gavaskar Trophy is currently in India’s grasp as they have held onto it since 2017. Australia will look to reclaim the prize under Pat Cummins’ inspirational leadership.