Need to be ‘near perfect’ to win in India: Australia coach Andrew McDonald

Ahmedabad, March 5

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Australia head coach Andrew McDonald has admitted that visiting teams need to be “near perfect” to challenge India in their own backyard, something they sought in Indore by “doubling down” on what they had set out to achieve initially.

Hammered by the hosts inside three days in the first two Tests of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, Australia fought back to claim the third match on an Indore pitch that offered vicious turn and variable bounce. “You have almost got to be near perfect against India in India. I think this game (Indore Test) besides that 6/11 was near perfect,” McDonald said.

McDonald said there is a core group of players who are learning what it takes to win in the subcontinent and can help the side taste greater success in the future.

“Everyone’s journey starts at some point in time in the subcontinent, and I think there’s a core group of players that will come back here more experienced and, in theory, better equipped for the challenges. We’re talking about a series where we’ve had certain conditions that probably aren’t relatable to any other subcontinent tour over time, so it’s always a different challenge when you do arrive here,” he said.

McDonald said Australia lost the chance to regain the trophy due to one hour of chaos in the second Test in New Delhi. “We had one hour of chaos there and that cost us that Test match when we’d played pretty good cricket. We came to Indore and doubled down on what we’d set out to achieve at the start of the tour,” he said. — PTI

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