Australian Test team to train in Bengaluru ahead of series opener

New Delhi: The Australian men's team will undergo a four-day specialised training camp in Bengaluru before heading to Nagpur for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series opener.

The Pat Cummins-led side will train at the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) Cricket Ground in Alur, where they can concentrate on individual skills and get ready for India's spinning tracks in a controlled environment. The Australian side left for India from Sydney on Tuesday.

Australian Test squad had a pre-series training camp in North at Bon Andrews Oval, that closely resembled subcontinent conditions. Cricket Australia had requested the North Sydney Oval ground staff for a turner pitch to aid the Test squad.

The pitch had been scratched and sacrificed to imitate the wickets of Nagpur and Ahmedabad along with artificial footmarks on both sides of the deck as there would be on the fifth day of a Test match.

"The surfaces we got are very similar to what we're going to confront in India, which is very difficult to replicate," McDonald was quoted by Fox Cricket. "We feel as though we've got close to that, so the ground staff have done a fantastic job."

The visiting side, who have not won a Test series in India since 2004, will not be going to play a warm-up match.

The first Test will be played at Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium in Nagpur from February 9 to13, and the second at New Delhi from Feb 17-21. The third Test will be played at Dharamshala from March 1-5 while the fourth will be held at Ahmedabad from March 9-13.

The Test series will be followed by the three-match ODI series, starting on March 17 at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.