A leaked email to construction workers at the WACA Ground revealed they were banned from taking photos or videos of, and even watching, India’s preparations for next week’s first Test of the Border Gavaskar Trophy in Perth.
Watch every ball of Australia v India LIVE & ad-break free during play in 4K on Kayo | New to Kayo? Get your first month for just $1. Limited time offer.
The absurd measures came about as India took to the WACA nets as well as staging intra-squad centre wicket practice to adapt to the pace and bounce expected in the series opener at Optus Stadium starting on November 22.
The hype surrounding the five-Test series between the two sides who met in last year’s World Test Championship final is booming, but India are not playing ball with the public or local workers as they appeared to shut out everyone not involved in the inner sanctum.
Uzzie blasts media and backs McSweeney | 05:16
The email sent by Adam Sauzier of ADCO Constructions – the company who are building the redevelopment at the WACA which is due to be completed next year – handed strict instructions to staff members.
“This week India and India A are training at the WACA Ground from Tuesday 12 November until Sunday 17 November, as part of India’s preparation for the Test match at Perth Stadium the following week,” the email said.
“During all training sessions, please do not take any photos or videos or fly any drones, of the training sessions and please do not sit and watch the sessions.”
The veil of secrecy is not uncommon with India implementing similar measures in the past but not to this extreme — although it’s worth noting that accredited photographers did appear to gain access to the sessions.
Following their whitewash at home at the hands of New Zealand, there is added on pressure on the Indian team including a sharp focus on new coach Gautam Gambhir, superstar Virat Kohli and captain Rohit Sharma – who is likely to miss the start of the series due to the birth of his second child.
Sharma’s absence presents India with an opener conundrum, but the make-up of India’s team is being closely guarded by the extensive security – which did not entirely work as planned during Wednesday’s training session.
The full squad hit the nets and the WACA outfield for the first time but they failed to shut everyone out.
Reporters were denied entry but the press along with eager members of the public snaffled a tiny viewing spot behind the nets when the minds of the security guards were elsewhere.
Indian officials invited Getty Images photographer Paul Kane to take snaps of the session, but he was not the only one who managed to get behind the lens.
The Sydney Morning Herald spoke to a Perth local who watched the entirety of training from the window of a nearby office building.
They witness a fairly normal session that did not require such a veil of secrecy.
“Apparently the Indian cricket team’s secret approach to training includes playing occasional rounds of musical chairs to break up what otherwise looks exactly like normal fielding and net practice,” the fan said. “No centre wicket hit, just regular drills today.”
Meanwhile other news outlets brought out ladders and drones to try get shots of what was going on.
– INDIA LOCKDOWN WACA –
In scenes more reminiscent of a head state coming to town than a cricket team, India undertook extensive security measures on Wednesday during their pre-series training camp at the WACA.
To not let any state secrets get out, black tarps surrounded the WACA Ground’s nets and WA Cricket staff members were banned from using their mobile phones outside of their offices.
There was also no filming allowed inside the ground, and staff were banned from certain parts of the precinct.
Even Cricket Australia officials were reportedly unsure of what India’s exact plans for their preparations were.
The WACA nets are normally visible from the street, but the public will not be catching a glimpse of India’s cricket heroes at all before the first Test at Optus Stadium.
Their three-day intra-squad warm up match to be played from Friday to Sunday has now been closed to the public as the Board of Control for Cricket in India make their build-up to the Border Gavaskar Trophy as air-tight as possible.
It all sounds like a covert operation from an action movie, but it has become common place for India over the years.
They implemented similar security measures when they were last in Perth – ahead of the 2022 T20 World Cup – but at least on that tour they played two practice matches against a WA invitational team that were open to the public.
English Premier League football club Manchester United also used a high level of security measures when they were in Perth on a pre-season trip two years ago.
– EARLY PITCH HINT SETS UP FIERY OPENER –
Optus Stadium’s head curator Isaac McDonald is set to welcome India with pace, bounce and cracks reminiscent of the old school WACA when the first Test of the Border Gavaskar Trophy begins on Friday 22 November.
India’s famous series win in Australia four years ago did not include a Test match in Perth, and they have only played at Optus Stadium once before when the Australians picked up their only win of the series in 2018/19.
The venue has hosted only four Tests previously – all of which Australia have won – and last year’s encounter with Pakistan was played on a lively pitch that opened up with cracks as the match went on, and had a healthy amount of grass which offered plenty to the fast bowlers despite a David Warner century guiding Australia to a first innings total of 487.
Aussies to come out firing in T20 series | 02:19
More of the same can be expected this time around.
“This is Australia, this is Perth… I’m setting ourselves up for really good pace, really good bounce and really good carry,” McDonald told ESPNcricinfo. “In a perfect world, I want to emulate last year.”
Ten millimetres of grass was left on the pitch against Pakistan and the liveliness led to Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne and Steve Smith all copping body blows.
Labuschagne declared post-match that it was one of the toughest pitches he had ever batted on, but McDonald believes it was near-perfect.
“Ten millimetres was pretty comfortable with the conditions that we had [last year] and that held the conditions together nicely for the first few days. Live grass on the pitch is speed,” McDonald said.
“Both bowling units were pretty rapid last year and hoping for much the same this year. But, as we saw last year, good batters were able to take the game on and put away balls and score runs quickly.”
Former opener slams McSweeney selection | 01:42
The Test pitch will be different to the one used in Sunday’s ODI where Australia were blown away by Pakistan’s quicks.
Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj would have been licking their lips seeing the bounce and carry that the likes of Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf and Lance Morris extracted.
Despite the way the Australian batters made it look, it was far from unplayable, and McDonald is searching for that type of balance for the next week’s Test.
‘What does Ponting have to with India?’ | 01:41
“Every wicket you make is conditions based. You’ve got to back yourself with the conditions and make educated guesses around your moisture content and how much rolling to do,” McDonald said.
“It’s a juggling act but hopefully the match gets into day five or the last session of day four like last year. If we can get some nice cracks forming later in the game…the game takes care of itself.”
Discussion about this post