The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI)'s decision to cancel the warm-up match against India A ahead of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy has drawn criticism, especially given the inconsistent form displayed by several Indian cricketers in recent months. In response, the Indian cricket team has opted for an intra-squad 3-day practice match to prepare for the series, but with a major twist: the match will be held behind closed doors, with no public access.

Scheduled to take place at the WACA from Friday to Sunday, the practice match will be conducted under "lockdown conditions," as per The Western Australian. This decision is aimed at keeping all team matters and strategies private before the high-stakes series begins.

Indian players who arrived in Australia recently have already started their training sessions. Virat Kohli, one of the team’s key players, notably missed the first optional practice session, as did Jasprit Bumrah and Ravichandran Ashwin. However, players like KL Rahul and young opening star Yashasvi Jaiswal were seen working hard in the nets, with both expected to open for India in the Perth Test, especially in the absence of Rohit Sharma.

Rishabh Pant, the wicketkeeper-batter, was also present for the optional training session, showing his readiness for the series. The Indian team faces a critical challenge, needing to win the 5-match series 4-0 to keep their World Test Championship final qualification hopes alive. Currently, India sits in second place on the points table after their recent 0-3 series defeat to New Zealand, with Australia at the top.

The form of key players like Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant, Jasprit Bumrah, Ravindra Jadeja, and Rohit Sharma will be crucial in determining the outcome of the series. It remains uncertain whether Rohit will feature in the first Test at Perth, as his availability is still up in the air.

As the team focuses on finalizing their preparations, all eyes are on the players and the intra-squad practice match to see how they perform under pressure before the Border-Gavaskar Trophy kicks off.