The mystique around India’s preparation for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy has continued, with star veteran Ravi Ashwin a late scratching for his scheduled press conference.
Since arriving in Perth more than a week ago, India have attempted to train in secret at the WACA Ground, and declined to make any coach or player available for media.
Gautam Gambhir, India’s coach, addressed reporters back on November 11 in Mumbai before the team flew out to Australia, but there has been a veil of secrecy since then.
India broke their silence on Wednesday, through South African-born bowling coach Morne Morkel, who was announced as the late replacement for Ashwin just minutes before the start.
Morkel insisted the change was purely because India were running late for training at Optus Stadium.
“It’s just we had a couple of meetings here now before arriving,” he said.
“It was just to give him (Ashwin) time just to strap up and get himself ready.”
Star Australian quick Josh Hazlewood was unfazed by how India were preparing for the eagerly anticipated five-Test series.
“I don’t think there’s anything that you haven’t seen in Test cricket before,” Hazlewood said on Wednesday.
“It’s going to come down to bowling on that area and batting with patience and trying to outlast them.
“There’s no real secrets behind those closed doors of Indian sessions.
“We’ve seen a lot of them. We play with them all the time (in the Indian Premier League). We play against them.
“There’s no real secrets in cricket these days.”
Captain Rohit Sharma has remained at home following the birth of his second child and will miss the first Test in Perth.
Fellow top-order batter Shubman Gill is also set to sit out the series opener after injuring his thumb in an intra-squad game held behind closed doors.
Morkel said Gill was “improving every day”. “Fingers crossed for that improvement,” he said.
“I think they’ll wait to make a call with him right up until the morning of the Test match.”
Jasprit Bumrah will captain India for the first time in Sharma’s absence, setting up a rare clash of fast bowling skippers, with Pat Cummins in charge of Australia.
Morkel called Bumrah a “natural leader”.
“(Bumrah) put his hand up and wanted that leadership role,” he said.
“He’s been very successful here (in Australia) in the past, so he knows what to expect.
“In the dressing room he speaks well, and he’s a guy that I know that with ball in hand will lead from the front, and then the rest of the younger guys will follow.”
There could be as many as five changes to India’s XI from their previous Test – a 25-run defeat to New Zealand in Mumbai on November 3 that sealed an unprecedented 3-0 series whitewash.
© AAP