Published: Jul 06, 2016, 11:28 AM (IST)
Edited: Jul 06, 2016, 01:56 PM (IST)
Australia may have been termed as favourites going into the Sri Lanka tour 2016 for a three-Test series, they are not leaving any stone unturned to ensure the best of preparations. Joe Burns, who has formed a very good bond on and off the field with vice-captain David Warner, is in India at the MRF Pace Foundation working on specific tasks. Burns has been Australia’s preferred fielder at short-leg, and the tourists are seeing the position as one of the most important in their bid to emerge victorious in Sri Lanka. It is no-brainer that a lot of catches may come to the short-leg if the spinners do well, and Burns is in Chennai working on this specific task. ALSO READ: Australia to tour Sri Lanka for 3 Tests, 5 ODIs and 2 T20Is in July-August 2016
Burns has been going through rigorous training with teammates Jackson Bird, Peter Nevill and Steve O’Keefe at Foundation. The Australian opener is not just focusing on his batting skills but catching skills as well. Burns was seen doing catching practice at short-leg position on Tuesday. Burns told Cricket Australia’s (CA) official website after training, “Short-leg is my fielding position and I suppose it will continue for some time. So, it was important to be fully prepared for it. I suppose the most exposed you are to that during training, the easier it would become during matches.
Burns has been training under former Indian player and spinner, Sridharan Sriram as spin consultant. Burns is pretty much impressed by Sriram’s effort as he said, “Sriram is a great teacher. He has a great relationship with each one of us. Having someone from the subcontinent as part of the support staff certainly instills confidence in the team and also strengthen our game plans. He opens your mind about the types of shots you have to play on these wickets and his insights have been amazing.”
The last Test which Burns played was against New Zealand, wherein he scored his career-best 170. He will be opening for Australia alongside David Warner who has been in brilliant form lately. Burns is excited to open with Warner as he said, “One of the things that is hard for an opener is to be consistent across all formats of the game, and Warner has been able to do it successfully for a long time now. That’s something I would like to imbibe. It’s a testament to the way he prepares, his appetite for runs and the strong mind he has.”
