2 weeks Ago By Tom Decent
Best-laid plans for India’s superstar cricketers to take part in a “secret” training session at the WACA Ground in Perth were thrown into disarray on Wednesday as ladders, drones and disagreements over who was allowed to take photos dominated a day of drama that epitomises the circus that will follow this team in coming weeks. If Virat Kohli and his rock star Indian teammates thought their arrival on Australian shores would be smooth sailing ahead of next Friday’s first Test in Perth, they were wrong. Perth is certainly not Pune, but it is clear that this summer’s main attractions have arrived under pressure and fresh off their humiliating 3-0 series defeat to New Zealand on home soil.
India’s first proper training session on Wednesday at the WACA - with its entire squad - was shrouded in secrecy, with most reporters and photographers unsure whether they’d even be allowed to watch or film the likes of Kohli, Jasprit Bumrah and Rishabh Pant hitting balls or sending down deliveries nine days out from the opening match of the series at Perth Stadium, a 1.5 kilometre walk across town. The day before, signs indicated this wasn’t any normal sporting team, with security guards covering the outside of the WACA nets with a black tarp to prevent prying eyes from watching India’s preparations.
Construction workers at the WACA were even told, via an email seen by this masthead, they weren’t allowed to take photos or be seen catching a peek of training while on smoko break. “During all training sessions, please do not take any photos or videos or fly any drones over the training sessions and please do not sit and watch the sessions,” read an email to workers. WA Cricket staff members were also banned from using their phones inside the WACA - their offices are nearby - for fear of upsetting the tourists, who’ve been embroiled in their fair share of controversy on Australian shores over the past two decades.
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