Previous clashes between cricket heavyweights have been marked by bitter disputes, and the first Australian match David warner he said this week what to wait virat KohliThe men will try to finish him off during the tour.
But Langer said the Australians would keep any exchanges in the spirit of the game.
“There is a lot of room to joke, have fun and have that competitive instinct, but there is no room for abuse,” he told reporters on a conference call.
Langer took office in late 2018 promising to change the mindset of winning at all costs that led to the infamous ball-handling scandal in South Africa.
He said the team’s culture, once notorious for sledding or verbal abuse, was now different.
“Anyone who has seen what happened in the last few years (can see), we have talked about our behavior on and off the field,” he said.
That doesn’t mean everything will be sweet and light, with Langer pointing to a heated verbal exchange between Kohli and the Australian test captain. Tim paine during the last tour of India in 2018-19.
“We loved what Virat Kohli was doing, there was a great sense of humor and a great sense of theater in everything,” he said.
Langer hinted that he was taking a conservative approach to Australia’s main pick dilemma: whether rising star Will Pucovski should replace veteran Joe Burns at the top of the batting order.
“We believe very, very well in Will, he has enormous talent. When the opportunity presents itself, he is ready to play test cricket,” he said.
“Hopefully the opportunity comes to him at some point, either in this series or in a series to come.”
While all signs are Burns will get the nod, test greats like Michael Clarke, Ian Chappell and Mark Waugh have been clamoring for Pucovski’s inclusion after the 22-year-old plundered two consecutive centuries for Victoria.
Australia and India will play the first of three one-day matches in Sydney on Friday, followed by three Twenty20 matches and four Tests.
Langer said the tour was financially important for those with cash flow problems. Cricket Australia, but also a welcome distraction for cricket lovers everywhere during the Covid-19 pandemic.
“Watching Australia and India is going to be great entertainment,” he said.
“Hopefully it will put some smiles on people’s faces, that’s the bigger picture we’re seeing.”
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