“We normally have two tour games over in England. This time we don’t have a tour game in India,” Smith said at the Sydney airport before the team’s departure for India. “The last time we went [to India], I’m pretty sure we got served up a green top [in the tour game], and it was sort of irrelevant.
“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.”
Australia will arrive in Bengaluru, where they will train for five days before heading to Nagpur for the first Test, starting February 9.
“There’s been assurances given [about pitches in Bengaluru]. We’ll get there and most groundstaff around the world are pretty good at allowing us to get what we want. We’ll wait and see.”
Steven Smith: ‘Better off having our own nets’
In the Test series, Smith went on to score 499 runs – the most from either side – including three centuries, but India came from behind to win the series 2-1.
“We’ll wait and see when we hit the ground. I think we’ve made the right decision to not play a tour match,” Smith, who was not a part of the camp in Sydney as he was involved in the BBL with Sydney Sixers, said. “We’re better off having our own nets and getting spinners in and bowling as much as they can.”
