No- nonsense Lehmann has players focused on Bangalore
AUSTRALIA celebrated their blazing first Test triumph in Pune with heroes from the 2004 series, before promptly turning their attention to capturing their own slice of history in India.
Players are marching straight back on to the training paddock today on what would have been day five of the match, continuing the intense approach coach Darren Lehmann has brought to this tour.
The warm- up time Australia spent in Dubai resembled a cricketing boot camp with players kept out in the heat for long sessions in order to prepare for the trials and tribulations of Test cricket in India.
Now it’s straight back to the nets for an extra session before heading on to Bangalore.
Australian players soaked up their remarkable win for hours in the Pune dressing rooms on Saturday night, joined by Simon Katich, Michael Kasprowicz and of course Lehmann – all stars from the ’ 04 series victory, Australia’s only win on Indian soil in the past 47 years.
Michael Clarke and Shane Warne, also members of that ground- breaking side were invited as well, but had to rush to get flights home.
The presence of Katich and Kasprowicz helped reinforce how rare moments like this are in India, but Lehmann was quick to reinforce an understanding that 1- 0 is only one step against a superstar team that will fight back.
Scars from past failings on the sub- continent run deep, and Lehmann has asked his players to work harder and look inside themselves like never before.
“We’ve trained a little bit different for this tour,” Lehmann said.
“Obviously what we’ve done in the past hasn’t worked so we knew we had to change up things a little bit going to Dubai.’’