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Journalism of Courage
With three practice-games lined-up,the England team management have made elaborate and unprecedented acclimatisation plans for their players,when they visit India later this month. Having drilled India 4-0 back home last year,the No.2 Test side in the world are planning to leave no stone unturned in their quest to overcome their blues against spin in what has been labelled a revenge series.
However,their preparations for the four-match Test series is likely to suffer a setback with Alastair Cook & Co expected to make do with inferior opposition. And if a high placed source in the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is to be believed,then Indias home board isnt very keen on providing England with a stern test before the big series.
England are scheduled to land in Mumbai on October 29 before immediately taking on India A in a three-day encounter starting October 30 at the CCI for the first of three practice matches. With the Ranji Trophy beginning a day after the first tour game on November 2,the board has a ready excuse for lining up a string of weak opponents.
Even the India A team will not be a full strength one, says this top source. Yes,the likes of Rohit Sharma and Ajinkya Rahane may be present in the XI,but thats only because the venue is Mumbai and the Ranji side will play its home game in the same city the next day. So,with all the big players and teams involved in the Ranji Trophy,the BCCI are set to present England with state association sides for their remaining two practice matches to be held in Mumbai and Ahmedabad respectively.
It will be not possible for the India A side to play all the matches against England for the premier domestic tournament would have commenced by then, says Sanjay Jagdale,BCCI secretary. Awaiting the visitors at the DY Patil Stadium will be a Mumbai ‘A outfit,which will be made up of second-string local cricketers. For the second game,we have asked the Mumbai Cricket Association to play against England,and as of now we are waiting for their confirmation, added Jagdale.
Meanwhile,it still remains unclear which team theyll face in Ahmedabad in the last tour game before the first Test. We will have to see which team is available at that time, said Jagdale. It could be any Ranji side who arent playing that week or even a State Association side. We will finalise it in due course. That is,Haryana,Railways or lowly Kerala,the only teams that re not scheduled to be involved with the Ranji Trophy that week.
Gujarat Cricket Association (GCA) secretary Rajesh Patel revealed that they too were still in the dark. The BCCI hasnt revealed the identity of Englands opponent here as yet. The Gujarat senior team will be busy with their Ranji match against Saurashtra. And we havent been asked to prepare an A team so far, said Patel.
Sources though have revealed that a second-string team from Madhya Pradesh,Jagdales home state,is likely to be the BCCIs pick. All in all,the set on offer is a far cry from what the Indian team were treated to last year when they were at the England and Wales Cricket Boards (ECB) mercy.
During the Indian teams tour to England in 2011,MS Dhoni and his boys had faced two top-flight county teams as part of their warm-up. India faced Somerset,which included the then England skipper Andrew Strauss,prior to the first Test at Taunton and had then taken on Northamptonshire in between the second and third Tests. This,despite the matches having been scheduled in between the hectic County Championship.
