There has been a chorus of criticism about Australia’s limited preparation, including from 2017 coach Darren Lehmann and former captain Michael Clarke, with both claiming that at the very least Australia should have played a tour match before the first Test.
“In some circumstances it may be appropriate for tour matches in others, not so, and certainly in this case, the group was comfortable with the preparation leading in and the conditions that they were seeking,” Oliver said.
The Australians leave the field after defeat in Delhi.Credit:Getty Images
“We will continue, win, lose or draw, to review all aspects of what we do leading into these types of tours. But in this case, I don’t think that was an overriding factor.
“In fact, I think the involvement of those players that did take part in the Big Bash League was overwhelmingly positive for Australian cricket.”
At the height of Australia’s television rights negotiations in December and January, CA were under pressure about the standard of the BBL. The governing body later signed a $1.5 billion seven-year deal with Seven and Fox that failed to deliver a significant uplift.
However, the limited preparation now appears to have been costly, following batting failures in the first two Tests, with second innings scores of 91 and 113.
Matthew Renshaw is dismissed lbw in Delhi.Credit:AP
Unlike this tour, Australia made the 2017 India series a priority ahead of Twenty20 commitments by picking a second-string T20 team and resting Test players from the Big Bash.
In late February 2017 Australia’s former high-performance manager, Pat Howard, sent the Test squad to the Dubai training camp while Australia fielded a second-string T20 side in a three-match homes series against Sri Lanka.
There was considerable consternation over that decision after Australia lost the series 1-2, but the Test team managed what only one other international side has done this decade: won a Test in India.
Darren Lehmann’s side finished that Test series with a win, a draw, and two highly competitive losses that could have gone either way.
Steve O’Keefe celebrates one of his 12 wickets during the 2017 Test in Pune.Credit:AP
Howard recalled discussions about the 2017 touring squad going to India early for a training camp before deciding on the International Cricket Council Academy in Dubai.
“We worked really well with a curator at the time. He was just fantastic,” Howard said. “He gave us raging turners – ‘Can you exaggerate this, please, to make it really, really ridiculous’.
“And then the great news is that even in Dubai, you can get these fantastic part times spinners that come out of the woodwork that are just so different. And so the net bowlers were also outstanding.
“We went into the first Test on a raging turner. SOK [Steve O’Keefe] got 12 wickets, to set a record for an Australian in India, and unequivocally Smithy [Steve Smith] was in the form of his life.
“We lost the tour but took it down to the wire in Dharamshala. The tour preparation I thought was excellent.”
Howard was forced to make some tough calls prioritising that tour.
“That meant taking the hit when pulling players out of BBL, or you’re putting a certain format ahead of others,” he said. “You took the bullets as a consequence, but that’s okay, that was the gig.
“I didn’t keep all the people happy all the time. That’s okay too, as long as you can justify why you’re trying to do things within that space.”
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