Border-Gavaskar Trophy: Australia head coach Andrew McDonald stated that he was not surprised by what was on offer on the Indian pitches ahead of the series opener in Nagpur.
New Delhi,UPDATED: Feb 9, 2023 11:59 IST
Australia coach Andrew McDonald plays down Nagpur pitch controversy (PTI/AP Photo)
By India Today Web Desk: Australia coach Andrew McDonald has downplayed talk of “doctored pitches” in India, saying he wants his team to be problem solvers who can adapt to changes in conditions from one venue to the next.
The Australian media had gone hammer and tong over the way the pitch for the first Test in Nagpur was prepared, claiming it was designed to aid spinners and trouble the touring party’s left-handed batters.
However, McDonald, who took over as head coach from Justin Langer early last year, stated ahead of the match on Thursday that he is “excited by the challenge that awaits us,” echoing his captain Pat Cummins’ sentiments.
“Our job is to solve the problems that the wicket presents and that’s the great part about Test cricket, is the conditions change from country to country and from venue to venue within the country,” McDonald told SEN’s Whateley on Thursday.
The coach went on to say that the team had been expecting the Indian pitches to be along expected lines, so he was not surprised.
“Clearly it’s dry and it’s what we probably expected, to be honest. Coming to Nagpur, the message was it is the biggest turning wicket in India and (with) high reverse swing. I think it all matches up and we’re excited by the challenge that confronts us. I think we’ve all seen the same pitch circulating around.” With the Australian team packed with left-handed batters, Indian spinners are expected to derive an advantage from the dry surface and McDonald said he had the players with the wherewithal to solve the problem.
“Yeah, there’s no doubt that we’ve got a heavy left-hand line-up. It’s dryer up one side and a little bit more moisture up the other. It’s going to create some problems and we’ve got some really good problem solvers in our batting line-up that I think can combat that.”
The coach stated that he did not believe India was unfair to the touring team when preparing pitches that had been labeled “unorthodox” or “doctored” by the Australian media.
“I don’t think so. I think that you play your home conditions. We’ve got extra bounce in Australia and sometimes some grass. They call it Test cricket for a reason. All your skills get tested and having different conditions in different countries is great. It would be a plain old game if the conditions were the same everywhere you went.
“The conversations we have are a little bit more detailed when you get surfaces like this,” he added.
