'Last time they gave us a green top', Steve Smith explains why Australia is not playing a tour game this time

In a shocking call from the team management, Australia had earlier decided to not play a tour game in India ahead of the marquee Border-Gavaskar series that begins on February 9th in Nagpur. Speaking ahead of their departure to India, former Australia captain Steve Smith said the reason why they are not playing a tour match this time is that when they played one in 2017, the BCCI had prepared a green top for the same thatdidn’t allow them to practice on turningtracks. As a result, the Oz struggled against the spin-heavy Indian bowling line-up and lost the Test series 2-1.

Learning from their past experience, Smith said the management did the right thing by cancelling the ‘irrelevant’ scheduled tour game in India.

ALSO READ:Jay Shah, Sachin Tendulkar to felicitate Indian women's U-19 team in Ahmedabad following World Cup triumph

Add WION as a Preferred Source

"We'll wait and see when we hit the ground. I think we've made the right decision to not play a tour match. Like I said, last time they dished up a green top for us (in a tour game) and we barely faced any spin, so it's kind of irrelevant," Smith told news.com.au on Monday.

"Hopefully, we get really good training facilities where the ball is likely to do what it's likely to do out in the middle, and we can get our practice in," Smith added.

Having already lost the previous three Test series against India, including the last two at home in 2018 and 2020, Australia will be eyeing an improbable series win this time. Smith, who had been part of the touring Aussie team to India on two occasions in the past, said he would like to get back with a win this time – something that he hasn’t achieved as a player in his decorated career so far.

"It's (the Test series in India) certainly huge. I don't know if it's (winning in India) the final frontier. I've never won there, I've been there twice (for Tests), and it’s always difficult playing there. We've got some challenges in front of us, but the guys are ready for it," the right-handed batter said.

Meanwhile, ace seamer Mitchell Starc is ruled out of the first Test due to a finger injury while a decision on all-rounder Cameron Green will be taken ahead of the start of the match.

ALSO READ:IND vs AUS 2023: Mitchell Starc ruled out of 1st Test against India in Nagpur

Here’s Australia’s 18-man squad for the India Tests –

Pat Cummins (captain), Ashton Agar, Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Cameron Green, Peter Handscomb, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Lance Morris, Todd Murphy, Matthew Renshaw, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Mitchell Swepson, David Warner