How can India be defeated in India? Take them on in their own games. The Australian Cricket Team has turned to desi jugad to ace Rohit Sharma and company. Before leaving for Indore in the Border Gavaskar Trophy, Steve Smith’s team used rollers, rugby football, and a steel board for a unique fielding drill in Delhi. With Smith missing numerous catches at the slip, Australia assistant coach Andrew Borovec deployed rollers, still boards, and footys to deflect the ball and create a difficult fielding challenge for Smith, Marnus Labuschagne, and others.
Australia has missed out on reclaiming the Border Gavaskar Trophy after losing the first two Tests in a row in a span of six days. While the tour has been marred by batting failures, poor fielding in slips and close-ins has drawn attention as well. To address this, Australia has turned to whatever they can find to simulate conditions.
To practise catching, they used pitch rollers, fencing steel boards, and Australian footballs. They will face a combination of pace and spin challenges in Indore.
While the red soil base of the pitch will initially aid pacers, spinners will dominate proceedings as the match progresses. Given the bounce on the pitch, Mitchell Starc and Cameron Green should be able to create plenty of catching opportunities at the slips with the new ball.
