Former India batter Wasim Jaffer took a jab at Australia, claiming that R Ashwin has already gotten into the visitors’ heads well before the start of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, a much-anticipated four-match series beginning February 9.
Jaffer was reacting to the pre-series hype centred on India’s off-spinner after Australia trained against a ‘Ashwin impersonator’ during their four-day camp in Alur, near Bengaluru.
How are the Aussies preparing for @ashwinravi99 ahead of their upcoming Test series with India? Well, they've only gone and flown in a near carbon copy of the star off-spinner as a net bowler | #INDvAUS pic.twitter.com/l9IPv6i43j
— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) February 3, 2023
“First Test is five days away and Ashwin is already inside Aus head,” tweeted Wasim
First Test is five days away and @ashwinravi99 is already inside Aus head 😅 #INDvAUS #BorderGavaskarTrophy https://t.co/H1BNpj3PP8
— Wasim Jaffer (@WasimJaffer14) February 4, 2023
At the KSCA Ground in Alur, Australia hired Baroda off-spinner Mahesh Pithiya to bowl at their batters. Instead of playing a practise match ahead of the Test series, Australia has been training on scuffed-up pitches in Alur against Indian net bowlers. Mahesh, who made his first-class debut in December last year, was flown in from Vadodara after Australian support staff discovered videos of his bowling style, which resembles Ashwin’s.