Australian fast bowler Mitchell Johnson feels that only one warm-up game in India before October`s Test series might not suffice for the world champions, who are still hoping another tour match can be arranged.
“It`s probably not ideal,” Johnson told the Australian press. “We probably want a few more games before that, but that`s the way it is.
The BCCI on the other hand is not very keen to relent to the Aussie request of organizing a second warm-up game because it would mean rearranging India`s domestic cricket schedule.
“We`ve got one game before so we`ll have to go back to our states and work pretty hard and try to do the best we can there to prepare as well as we can for India. It`s always hard to prepare for India, which has such different conditions than here, so it is going to be tough. I think we will manage.”
Though Cricket Australia has not formally requested an extra match and Johnson said the players would definitely welcome more time to acclimatise. The postponement of the Champions Trophy has already left Australia with limited cricket scheduled before the first Test starts in Bangalore on October 9.
After a fairly successful one-day series in India, Johnson expressed keenness to replicate the performance in Tests. “Playing one-day cricket there I know how hard it is,” he said. “But to play Test cricket, with the wickets and playing five-day cricket, it`s going to be extremely hard, but it`s a challenge I`m looking forward to.” The India-Australia Test rubber known as the Gavaskar-Border trophy has grown in stature steadily since its inception in 1996. It is one of the most fiercely contested series of past decade, sprinkled with more than its share of drama and rivalries. India has on more occasion than once, proved to be the stumbling bloc for the all conquering Australian teams. Matthew Hayden even calls the India series as the ‘iconic series’ and rates it almost at par with the Ashes.