Former Indian captain Sourav Ganguly has criticised India's preparation for next week's Test in Brisbane as substandard and one that failed to give them a fighting chance in Australia.
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Ganguly, remembered as India's most successful skipper away from home, told Indian media the two two-day practice matches in South Australia in the lead-up to the Gabba Test starting on December 4 contradicted what he believed was necessary to build a solid foundation for a successful Australian tour.
"The key to doing well in places like Australia is the preparation before the Test series starts and not between the matches," Ganguly said. "I am not happy with India's schedule of two two-day games ahead of the first Test match.
"This effectively means that you will get only two innings to prepare yourself for the first Test, which I don't think is ideal. Even someone like Virat Kohli would like to get at least four innings to prepare himself.
"If you look at the Oval Test match a few months back, we batted some 42-odd covers in the first innings and some 25-odd overs in the second innings. In Brisbane back in 2004, Australia made 323 and we responded with a 450-odd total. In Adelaide, we scored 550, and 700 in Sydney.
"At Headingley in 2002, we scored in excess of 600 runs. In that team, we had Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Anil Kumble, V.V.S. Laxman. They were not loud people but always would give you that feeling of quiet confidence that we can do well."
While the tourists will pin their pace bowling hopes on Varun Aaron and Umesh Yadav - both were recently identified by Australia fast-bowling great Glenn McGrath as tremendous prospects - Ganguly blamed a production line of great batters, and the fact his nation hadn't produced a paceman considered by youngsters as a role-model, on his nation's lack of depth in that department.
"It's about the way you think in life in whatever you do," Ganguly said at the Hindustan Times Leadership Summit. "It's about what you want to become.
"Sometimes I think the role models in India are too many batsmen; Sunil Gavaskar, Gundappa Vishwanath, Mohinder Amarnath, Sachin, V.V.S.
"You ask a kid in India who do you want to be and they'd say I want to bat like Tendulkar," Ganguly said at the time.
"They say that in Pakistan, every city you go to or every street you go to you will find someone who turns up and bowls quick.
"I think it's got to do a lot with the attitude. It has a lot to do with the role models. Pakistan has the likes of Imran Khan, Waqar Younis and Wasim Akram who would run up and bowl fast."
