Secrecy and confusion dominate India’s preparation in lead-up to West Test against Australia at Optus Stadium

Secrecy and confusion have again dominated India’s preparation for a third straight day in the lead-up to the opening Test of the summer, which starts next Friday at Optus Stadium. India’s superstar batsman Virat Kohli trained for a second straight day with his teammates at the WACA Ground on Thursday, with a black tarp again blocking out views from the public, as another layer of intrigue descended on Perth ahead of the Border-Gavaskar series. Cricket Australia has been informed a three-day intra-squad workout on the WACA centre wicket starting on Friday will be closed to the public and while media and photographers will be permitted to watch, no TV cameras will be allowed inside the venue. That is contrary to reports in the Indian media on Thursday stating team management would allow the public to watch their centre-wicket training sessions from Friday to Sunday when they would do match simulation and play a warm-up game against India A. WA Cricket staff have been heavily restricted in their movements this week, while construction workers at the WACA Ground’s redevelopment have also been banned from watching, taking pictures and flying drones during the tourist’s net sessions. If the gates remain locked – and there is no guarantee as India team’s management has changed its mind more than once already this week - devoted supporters of the India team are again expected to climb trees and ladders to catch a glimpse of their sporting heroes. Kohli, like Sachin Tendulkar before him, is viewed with demigod status by his thousands of fans in Perth. He has 217 million Instagram followers as one half of India’s biggest celebrity couple. The 36-year-old’s Bollywood wife Anushka Sharma and children Vamika and Akaay have accompanied Kohli to Australia. After landing in Perth and spending two days under cover, Kohli made his first appearance in the nets on Wednesday. He could be seen warming up with a soccer ball on the ground on Thursday in a session that was open to accredited cricket media. India is likely to allow batsmen dismissed cheaply in their simulation to continue in order to maximise preparation, with Abhimanyu Easwaran seen as a potential replacement for opener Rohit Sharma, who remains in India for the birth of his second child and is unlikekly to play. WA Cricket chair Avril Fahey said India “brought a lot of interest to cricket” with Kohli at the centre of their popularity. “The fans are going to come out because they want to see their heroes and there is not a bigger hero than Virat Kohli,” Fahey told The West Australian. “India is a very professional unit. They are used to getting what they want and so they should.” Even WA’s Premier Roger Cook added his opinion on Thursday. “Well, the Indian cricket team is an elite cricket team, hopefully not as elite as the Australian cricket team, but I can understand that they want to practice in private so that they can keep their tactics and their strategies away from the other side,” Cook said. “Obviously, that represents a little bit of disappointment for those people who want to see the team practising. “I hope they provide an opportunity for some members of the public to at least experience the Indians practising in the nets.” Meanwhile, the last man to succeed as a rookie Test opener with no Sheffield Shield experience at the very top of the order believes Nathan McSweeney can immediately feel at home at the top for Australia. Not since Richie Robinson in 1977 has an Australian been picked to open on debut without having at least some experience in the role in the Sheffield Shield. Robinson lasted just one Test before being bumped down the order, before being dropped after his third match and never picked again. But there are greater success stories. Rick McCosker became a first-time opener in the 1974-75 Ashes, also thrown into the role with no experience as an opener when he replaced Wally Edwards for the third Test. He scored 80 in the first innings and then became a full-time opener for both NSW and Australia for the majority of his career. “Mentally you get prepared for it. There is not a real lot of difference required in your technique from being an opening batsman to a No.3,” McCosker told AAP. “I felt comfortable with it straight away. It’s really mainly to do with your mental approach. “You know if you’re out fielding, once the innings is finished you’re back out straight away. You get prepared for it. “That really didn’t take long, because you know you have to. You don’t have much choice.” McCosker had made scores of 138, 136, 164 and 164 in the three Shield matches before a vacancy was made for him as an opener in the Test team, with Ian and Greg Chappell batting at No.3 and No.4. McSweeney finds himself in a similar position, hitting two domestic centuries already this summer before top-scoring in both innings of Australia A’s opening four-day clash with India A. He then opened for the first time for Australia A last week, making two starts with 14 and 25 and earning selection over Marcus Harris, Cameron Bancroft and Sam Konstas. “It’s not a big issue, particularly if you’re selected at the right time,” McCosker said. “It worked out pretty well, and I hope it works out for Nathan and he has a good opportunity now. “I’ve watched a little bit on television in those Australia A games and you can see he has pretty good technique. “There has been some comment from Michael Clarke to say he should be told by the selectors you have five Test matches. That would help him if they do that.” McCosker, who now volunteers by assisting seafarers in Newcastle, said he could also see merit in the long-term thinking of selecting McSweeney over a more senior opener in the Shield. “There is so little difference in technique between an opening batsman and No.3,” McCosker said. “Picking a 25-year-old is in a way good, because if he is the right person then you have an opening batsman for the next 10 or 12 years. “Usman Khawaja is obviously closer to the end of his career than the beginning. So they could be needing to fill two opening batsmen at the same time otherwise.”