Adelaide, Australia

Former Australia quick Ryan Harris has slammed reports of faction in the Australian Team. Following the Perth debacle, where India beat the hosts by 245 runs in the BGT opener, seamer Josh Hazlewood cited the batter’s failure as the cornerstone behind the first Test result, creating a tense atmosphere in the dressing room, per several reports. Harris, however, has rubbished such talks, saying politics doesn’t happen in Australia, but it does in India.

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Harris has worked in the Indian Premier League (IPL) during the tournament’s early days, besides playing several bilateral series across formats. Having worked closely with the different IPL team management during his playing days, Harris claims to know more than an outsider would.

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Meanwhile, he squashed any reports of any faction between players within the dressing room, stressing how the Australian media hyped Sunil Gavaskar's comments, which shouldn't have happened in the first place. 

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During an exclusive chat with the Indian Express, Harris said he doesn't think such things (faction) happen in Australian cricket.

“Look, there are no factions. That’s just all garbage. I’ve even heard Mr. (Sunil) Gavaskar coming out and saying there’s some faction. That doesn’t happen in Australia. I know it happens in India. I’ve lived there,” Harris said.

“The Australian media have jumped on it because we went so bad in Perth. But you’re allowed to be outplayed. 

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“What the Australian media and people have got to realise is that India have won here the last couple of times, and they’re a very good team. I have all the respect for Mr Gavaskar, but he’s just throwing a little grenade over here, and the media are having a feast,” he continued.

India cracked code to win Down Under

Beating Australia in Australia in Tests was a dream for almost all teams until the Virat Kohli-led Indian Team achieved it twice in the past two outings. Having won all BGTs since the 2014/15 series, the Indian Team has cracked a code to win Down Under, and Harris echoes the exact words.

He backed his statement by adding that the Indian batters don't fear pitches, pace and even bounce; no wonder they have dominated in the past decade. 

“They have (cracked the code of winning Down Under), no doubt. I mean West Indies drew the series last year, but we haven’t lost any other series except to India. So there’s no doubt that India have found a way to win. They don’t fear the pitches. They don’t fear the pace. They don’t fear the bounce. And they’ve obviously done a lot of homework,” Harris said.

Meanwhile, India leads the five-match series 1-0, with the second Test (Pink-Ball Test) beginning in Adelaide on Friday (Dec 6). 

(With inputs from agencies)