Middle-order batsman Travis Head said the pre-series warm-up games will offer a fantastic opportunity for him and fellow Australians to test their preparations against high-quality Indian pace battery leading into the much-anticipated Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
Before the four-match Test series beginning December 17, Australia A are set to face the touring Indians in two three-day warm-up fixtures. The two teams are set to contain Test specialists who'll look to get a mental edge over the opponent before the main clash.
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The 26-year-old Head, part of the Test squad, will be captaining the home team in first of those games from Sunday (December 6) in Sydney's Drummoyne Oval.
"Nice to have some memories and stuff from that series, but (they are) an unbelievable bowling attack and been well supported throughout the whole attack," Head said in a virtual press conference, facilitated by official broadcasters Sony Network.
"You get through the new ball and someone like (Mohammed) Shami comes on and he's just so relentless on his length. There was just no rest that, you had to be on for every bowler."
"That is expected of Test cricket but that was my first real look at a quality attack like that. Those next spells are as strong as their first so you have to be on 100% of the time. Looking forward to that test again, again we have that chance."
The first practise game will be a red-ball game while the second one, starting next Friday (December 13), will be a pink-ball affair.
"It is a great opportunity with the red ball, the way we start that campaign in the same manner and we have three strong days and, I know the boys are really keen to start that three days and get leading into that test series," he said.
"(These are) really important couple of games for us, not just as Australian A squad but as Australian squad and we want to play our best foot forward and start putting the Indian guys under pressure."
"But again, like I said earlier the squad that has come together, (it) is a great squad and over the 12-18 months, its been a strong Australia A team, which in-turn make a strong Australian team, guys are fighting for positions and guys have had great season."
On a personal front, the left-hander said, "it is a new opportunity to develop my leadership. Really looking forward to play with different guys and how different guys operate and working with them to hopefully have really good three days."
Head was one of Australia's bright spots the last time they hosted Indians and struggled to cope up with the absence of Steve Smith and David Warner. He made 237 runs, including two fifties, from four Tests.
"A lot of things (on learnings from that series), my game has developed a long way since then," he said. "I guess I had more test of Test cricket and I have had a couple of performances since that series, so you take confidence from everything you've done, you take experiences from every game you've played and every team you've come up against."
"I am raring to go. I feel I have done enough net sessions now and enough training and I am not tired, I am really refreshed."
"I am at perfect peak to get into the games and it is bit different to have this period off in the middle of the summer, it is going to be huge rest of the summer and huge test series," Head signed off.
(Inputs from PTI)
