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Haddin banking on Healy’s tips

Y.B. Sarangi

— Photo: AFP

BIGGEST BOUT: For Brad Haddin, the series against India will be a serious test of his skill and character.

JAIPUR: It is no secret that the turning tracks in India pose a stiff challenge to the wicketkeepers. And Australian stumper Brad Haddin is equipped with vital tips from Ian Healy for the important series.

His immediate predecessor Adam Gilchrist may be the world record holder and may have a better record against India, but Haddin has more faith in his idol Healy, well known for his efficient work behind the stumps against spin wizard Shane Warne.

“I had a chat with Healy but not with Gilly. Healy gave me valuable tips on how to prepare for an Indian tour. I think you have to adjust while keeping on the slow and low pitches in India. You have to be a bit close to the wickets than in Australia,” Haddin said while speaking to the media here on Friday.

While the Rajasthan Cricket Association’s whole-hearted support in providing hospitality and top-class practice facilities to the Australian side has raised a debate, the visiting wicketkeeper-batsman refused to discuss the topic and also whether India had lost its home advantage in the Test series.

Outstanding facilities

“I don’t know whether India has lost the home advantage. For us, it was great to prepare for the tour at these outstanding facilities. Everything here has been spot on. We are fully equipped and confident of taking on the Indians. The conditions here are not as foreign as they used to be,” Haddin said.

Haddin’s comments are likely to add fuel to the fire as the RCA’s gesture to the Aussies to get acclimatised to the Indian conditions has not gone down well with some officials of the Board of Control for Cricket in India.

On whether Australia would be well-received by the Indian crowd on the backdrop of the tumultuous Test series down under last year, Haddin said it was a closed chapter.

“What happened in the past is in the past. We are here to play good cricket and enjoy our cricket. Concentrating on the game is important in India and we are not thinking of any other issue,” Haddin said.

Aiming to chip in

The 30-year-old, who made his Test debut against the West Indies earlier this year, said he would try to contribute to the team at crucial times. “I don’t have any particular aim in India. I have to be consistent in batting and keeping. It is the same against any other opposition in world cricket.”

Notwithstanding the fierce rivalry with India, the New South Wales cricketer said he would love to have a Sachin Tendulkar or a Mahendra Singh Dhoni in the Australian version of the Indian Premier League. “It will be great for the game in Australia. It will be great to see the Indian players playing in Australia.”

About his team’s “high intensity training sessions,” Haddin said, “That’s how we practice. We try to make every session very competitive as we believe how you train is how you play. We try to bring out the best.”

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