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Australia is prepared to accept whatever is thrown at
them in their Test match against India at Wankhede Stadium, but they are
keeping an open mind about the conditions they can encounter.
Australia’s coach, Shelley Nitschke, mentioned the
“tough” surface that was available for the England match at DY Patil
Stadium last week, where the visitors were bowled out for 136 and 131.
Furthermore, she believes that spin will be crucial once more in Australia’s
first Test match there since 1984.
They have trained at the Wankhede Stadium since
arriving and had a 50-over practice match on Sunday but are still facing
distinct unknowns about what will be provided for the Test.
“It’s a tough one to prepare for,” Nitschke
said. “The girls are coming off the back of a WBBL, and looks like we are
going to get some really traditional subcontinent conditions but it’s also
really exciting. Think everyone is just embracing the challenge. We are just
doing whatever we can to prepare.
“Think it will just be a matter of how quickly
that pitch deteriorates. It’s a matter of adapting on the run and not getting
too far ahead of ourselves, thinking that it will do something. We are trying
not to read too much into it, but we certainly know what way it could go but it
will be interesting how much it does change across the four days.”
Alyssa Healy, the new permanent captain, is expected
to lead the side and take wickets after recovering from a dog bite injury that
kept her out of the WBBL for much of the season, Nitschke said. As part of a
gradual return to action, she did not wear gloves during the warm-up match, yet
she still managed to score fifty runs.
“Everything is looking really positive, so
fingers crossed it keeps going that way over the next three or four days,”
Nitschke said. “Unless there’s some significant change think Midge [Healy]
will be leading at the first day of the Test.”