BGT 2027: Reason revealed why Australia won't play warm-up games before blockbuster India series

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KEY TAKEAWAYS:​

• Australia skip warm-up matches before the 2027 India Test series preparation.
• Coach McDonald favours an acclimatisation camp over traditional practice fixtures instead.
• Tight schedule follows New Zealand Tests, leaving limited preparation time available.

BGT 2027: Why Australia are skipping warm-up matches ahead of India Test tour​

The Australia cricket team won't be featuring in any warm-up fixtures during their upcoming tour of India next year, though head coach Andrew McDonald has revealed that acclimatisation for some players will actually get underway before their home Test season even wraps up.

While tour matches against local sides have already been locked in for Australia's upcoming trips to South Africa and England, the team is instead scouting potential venues for a dedicated pre-series camp designed to prepare them for what will be their most extended tour of India in fifty years.

This approach mirrors how Australia have readied themselves for their past two Test tours to Asia under McDonald's guidance. They travelled to Dubai last year ahead of their two-Test series in Sri Lanka, and set up a similar camp in Alur, just outside Bengaluru, before their 2023 tour of India.

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Border-Gavaskar Trophy schedule creates tight turnaround for Australia​

This time around, Australia's build-up for their five-Test series in India, beginning January 21, will be noticeably shorter than previous subcontinental preparations. Their series opener in Nagpur kicks off less than two weeks after the New Year's Test against New Zealand is due to finish.

McDonald indicated that players earmarked for the India tour but not involved in the home series against New Zealand could shift their focus toward India preparation, potentially at the cost of appearances in the Big Bash League.

Another option under consideration involves training on specially prepared pitches at home designed to mimic turning Indian conditions, similar to what several players did at North Sydney Oval before the 2023 tour.

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McDonald explained that the team feels confident they have sufficient time to adapt to Indian conditions without needing a formal practice match, and would instead focus on choosing the right location for the camp.

"We feel as though we've got enough time to immerse ourselves in those conditions. We won't be taking on a practice game. It'll just be more around the location," he told cricket.com.au.

"We've got a couple of options there. We have gone to the UAE previously and we have also gone into India last time into Bangalore, so we're just working through what that would look like in terms of how we then manage the individuals.

"A lot of that would happen on the back of the four Tests against New Zealand, seeing where players are at. We'll potentially have some different players with different skill sets that we believe can perform in India, so it won't necessarily be the squad that finishes the Test series (against NZ that then heads to India).

"There'll be some players that we need to put a little bit more prep into, and that'll start in Australia also, balancing out Big Bash commitments and things like that.

"Ultimately, if you can have a dedicated venue that you're able to use and replicate as close to the conditions that you believe you may get in the first Test match or throughout a Test series, that's ideally what you want.

"You case those locations – you want a connection in terms of conditions and climate. We believe we'll get that right in terms of where we go, it just hasn't been confirmed yet."

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Australia A tour and India Test assignment preparations already underway​

Regardless of the final venue decision, Australia's coaching staff has clearly put considerable thought into their India preparations.

They want to amend their poor record as no Australian side has managed a Test series win since 2004. Selector George Bailey mentioned last month that fringe Test players could be pulled from September's ODI series in Africa to instead join an overlapping Australia A tour of India, marking the second such reserve tour in consecutive years.

While Australia have generally leaned toward match simulations and internal squad practice rather than full tour matches for overseas preparation, they will still play warm-up fixtures ahead of their three-Test series in South Africa in October, as well as before next year's Ashes tour in England.

McDonald explained that Australia haven't always used warm-up or first-class fixtures as entry points into tours, largely due to limited scheduling windows and typically experienced squads.

"We don't always take the opportunity to play warm-up games or first-class games on the entry, and that's probably because we haven't traditionally had the space and time, and also we've had an experienced group," he said.

"Some players are going to be coming out of IPL, some players are going to be coming out of April, May in Australia preparing back here, some might be in county cricket, so we're going to have players at all different stages of prep.

"Our intention is that we qualify for the World Test Championship final, but there's a lot of water to go under the bridge there. To have that game available to finish off the prep for players, if we weren't to make the WTC final, would be important.

"We're not against practice games as long as they can fit in. That's always the hard part with a schedule that does get compressed."

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Playing no practice match is a calculated gamble that could go either way for Australia​

Skipping traditional warm-up matches before touring India is a bold call, especially given Australia's poor recent record there. Conditions on the subcontinent punish teams that arrive undercooked, and spin-friendly pitches require match-time adjustment that camps and simulated nets can only partially replicate.

That said, McDonald's reasoning isn't without merit. Modern scheduling leaves little room for the lengthy acclimatisation tours of the past, and Australia's recent approach of using focused camps rather than exhibition matches has shown some success, particularly in Sri Lanka last year. The bigger risk lies in squad continuity, as players will be arriving from vastly different preparation levels just weeks before facing a spin-heavy Indian attack on unfamiliar surfaces.

If Australia's batters struggle early in Nagpur, questions will inevitably return to this decision. But if the camp succeeds in sharpening reflexes and mental preparation, it could set a template other touring sides start following too, given how congested global cricket calendars have become.

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