Indian team management declined the proposal to send Test specialists early

In what turned out to be a forgetful outing in the very first match of the year, the Indian Cricket Team is once again under the scrutiny of their under-par performances outside the subcontinent especially after their poor show with the bat in the first Test against South Africa at Newlands in Cape Town.

Indian batting woes on seam-friendly pitches have once again highlighted the issue of not sending the Test specialists early for the tour. While the team’s decision to reject the solitary warm-up match before the series has already been questioned, this now comes in with more concerns about the players failing to adapt to the conditions.

Team management declined the proposal

As per reports from a BCCI source, few of the Indian players the likes of Cheteshwar Pujara, Murali Vijay and Ajinkya Rahane, who were not a part of the limited-overs leg against Sri Lanka at home were asked to be sent in early by the board but the team management refused the proposal and opted to arrive along with the team together.

“The BCCI was ready to bear the cost but team management showed no interest and declined the offer,” a BCCI official was quoted as saying by The Indian Express.

This is not the first time that players have been asked to travel early on the tour and play warm-up games in order to make them familiar with the conditions.

“Players like Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman were sent to Australia or New Zealand where they played with local teams before joining the Indian team. The BCCI has no problem in arranging practice games before any overseas tour. It’s the team management which has to take the call,” the source claimed.

Conceding the first match by 72 runs, Team India is already 1-0 down in the three-match series. They would like to rectify their mistakes and come up with a better performance against a mighty dangerous South African attack in the matches to follow.