The tour was arranged to coincide with a trade festival in India
celebrating links between the two countries. However, cricket relations
between the two nations were strained as the Australian Board opposed
Jagmohan Dalmiya’s attempt to become Chairman of the I C C.
Australia’s position as ‘world champions’ after beating West
Indies in the Caribbean in 1995 was weakened by a seven wicket defeat in the
only Test played on this tour.
Captain Mark Taylor felt that the Australians were not ready to
play a Test match because they had been playing only one-dayers since March
and had not practised the longer game.
This argument was soon undermined when the Australians joined South Africa and India in a tri-series and lost
every match.
Unavailable : Craig
McDermott (retired after failing to regain fitness)
Tour Party announced:xSeptember 1996
Steve Waugh was the only player who had been on Australia’s previous tour of India in 1986-87, but twelve of the squad had
played in the 1996 World Cupin India
earlier in the year.
Not selected:x
Withdrawal:Shane Warne,
to allow more time for healing after surgery on his spinning finger. He was
replaced by Peter McIntyre.
Skipper Mark Taylor who had back surgery passed a fitness test under
the supervision of physiotherapist Errol Alcott in Sydney on Wednesday morning 25 September.
Time between selection and departure from Australia
x days
(- 29 September)
Travel
SydneyQBombay
Left Sydney
on Sunday 29 September 1996.Arrived
in Bombay on
Monday 30 September.
Training session at the Wankhede Stadium, Bombay,
and went on to Patiala
on Wed 2 October 1996..
Time spent in Inida
x days
(30 September - 4
November?)
On-tour
selection panel
Reinforcements
A C Gilchrist
W
24
WKLHB
ODI
Ian Healy intended
to miss only two matches and did not return home after being injured in the Bangalore
ODI but next day (Tuesday 22 October) Adam
Gilchrist was called on to join the team as stand-in for the injured
wicketkeeper.
Gilchrist departed from Perth on
Wednesday and landed in New Delhi
on Thursday 24 October.