Clayton Murzello: The truth about tour games

One can understand why Sunil Gavaskar has slammed Indias preparation for the Test series against England His criticism revolved around the fact that the team got too much of a break after the limited overs series and there was not enough redball match practice going into the opening Test of the Pataudi Trophy at Edgbaston where England triumphed by 31 runsGavaskar was the epitome of good preparation and he played in an era when the Indian cricket team had to play against nearly all the 17 counties on a tour to EnglandFor the batting giant thorough preparation extended to all series mdash home and away For example after playing the last day of the 1979 Oval Test where he nearly guided India to a win with his 221 on September 4 the Indian senior pro landed up for Dadar Union Sporting Clubs September 9 Kanga League fixture at the PJ Hindu GymkhanaNot only did he boost his beloved club with his presence he also got a good feel of home conditions two days before the opening Test against the visiting 197980 Australians After all he was in England for more than two monthsIn South Africa last year Team India decided against playing a tour game at Boland before the opening Test at Cape Town and opted for training sessions instead However they ended up on the losing side in the first two Tests More recently in England the fourday game against Essex was reduced to three days due to the heat waveNo one can accuse the current Indian team of not going the extra mile to achieve success but their methods have come into question India playing the first Test at Birmingham on the back of only one threeday game is similar to what happened in 2011 MS Dhonis team played Somerset before the Lords Test where they lost by 196 runs England followed that win with three more triumphs at Nottingham Birmingham and the Oval to earn a 40 whitewashWhen it comes to side games in between Tests the one which springs to mind first is the one India played against Australia A in Hobart on their 200304 tour After the win in Adelaide where India went oneup in a series for the first time on Australian soil Rahul Dravid VVS Laxman Ajit Agarkar and Anil Kumble all heroes at Adelaide were given a breakThe young Australians bowled out India for 245 earned a 66run lead and enjoyed a profitable second innings too with a certain uncapped batsman Michael Clarke stroking his way to a fine unbeaten hundredWe as touring journalists wondered if the break in Hobart contributed to the comprehensive loss in the next Test at Melbourne which propelled Australia back into the series While maintaining momentum is critical to any winning campaign there is also a need to look at workload and hence no one made a hue and cry about itWhile tour games can be perfectly rewarding they can also become very boring I can hear some members of the 1971 Indian tourists chanting nonsensical too For after the third and final Test which India famously won at the Oval mdash their first on English soil since 1932 mdash they had to play four more games before heading home for a celebratory welcome In fact they clashed with Sussex the very next day after the Oval Test concluded in LondonSkipper Ajit Wadekar was keen that his team maintain a clean slate and not lose any of the four games The boys achieved that with the fivewicket win over TN Pearce XI at Scarborough The postTest series games also gave Gavaskar and his skipper the chance to end the tour with 1000plus runs Both achieved that distinctionIndias victorious 1986 team also had to be in England after the Test series ended The festival India v Pakistan game on July 15 played in aid of UKbased charity Help of the Aged at Harrogate was understandable but where was the need for a threeday fixture against Yorkshire mdash even if the match gave India its maiden victory over a county which all touring teams found hard to beatThankfully such meaningless games have stopped but times have changed to such an extent that touring teams dont get or demand enough fixtures when they are genuinely needed and that is before Test matchesThe second Test that begins at Lords today provides an opportunity for India to storm back and prove their true worth Not many teams win an overseas series after losing the first Test India have done it only once in 82 years of touring mdash in 2015 against Sri Lanka However seven members of that serieswinning playing XI are in the current squad so it wont hurt to be hopeful Match practice wont be a factor for Lords but discipline determination and dedication mdash the three Ds that defined Gavaskar mdash will Over to St Johns Woodmiddays group sports editor Clayton Murzello is a purist with an open stance He tweets ClaytonMurzello Send your feedback to mailbagmiddaycomCatch up on all the latest Mumbai news crime news current affairs and also a complete guide on Mumbai from food to things to do and events across the city here Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates