Former Australian captain Ian Healy reckons India is following Australia’s footsteps as they are taking closed-door training sessions for the Border-Gavaskar series. India under head coach Gautam Gambhir has decided to opt for close-in practice sessions as the outside public and media have been barred from watching any action.

Healy recalled that his team used to do the same when they toured India, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. The former wicket-keeper bat reckons if the visitors had interacted with the media and Australian public, it would have made them a happy squad.

Speaking to SENQ Breakfast, Healy said, “India is now doing in Australia what Australia used to do in India, Pakistan and sometimes Sri Lanka – just not embracing the whole experience and the early media,” he said. “If you sort of open yourself to media opportunities and do them and meet the Australian public and the many Indians that are out here – it goes a long way to a much happier tour.”

“There are extra reasons why India locked themselves away, we just cannot imagine the clambering throng that they have to cope with day in, day out. So maybe training is their safe space, and they’ve got to get a fair few things done and they want to do it away from the prying eyes,” he added.

Healy noted that the squad doesn’t look relaxed when a team decides to cut itself from the media.

“It’s never worked. The squad just doesn’t relax when you do this, when you lock yourself away the media start turning the screws and the squad just can’t relax. England did it when they opened themselves up, and the next one when they didn’t, and it was an incredible difference in performance.”

The opening Test match between India and Australia will be played at Perth from November 22 onwards.