The trip from Hobart back to WA will be Inglis’ fifth flight in little more than a week, three of them making the long journey from Perth to the east coast with its three-hour time difference. It will be up to the panel chaired by George Bailey whether Inglis takes another big trip to Adelaide in time for a pink ball Shield game starting on day two of the Perth Test.

Loading

An alternative will be to keep Inglis with the Test squad until the end of the first Test and then have him play in Sydney against New South Wales in the Shield game that is played head-to-head with the second Test in Adelaide in early December.

Speaking in Melbourne on Tuesday, Cricket Australia’s chief executive Nick Hockley defended the decision to rest so many players from the final game against Pakistan, and argued a packed calendar meant “the travel schedule into such a big series is critical”.

“This is about thinking ahead and getting players through in the best possible condition,” he said.

“As we look to the schedule for next year ... we’ll get right into the detail to make sure that the travel schedule is optimised so we can continue to put our best possible 11 on the field.

“You have to take a balanced view on all factors. The primary reason the travel schedule is tough is we want as many fans around the country to see international cricket. That won’t change.”

When he unveiled the squad, Bailey highlighted Inglis’ ability to “bounce” between formats, scoring consistent runs for WA in between his many white ball appearances for the national side.

“Just think his game’s in a really good place, particularly for certain roles in the team, love his ability to put pressure back on the opposition at the right times and drive the game forward,” Bailey said.

“Particularly if you look back at the last couple of years when he has come back into Shield cricket, he hasn’t had long bursts of Shield cricket, so his ability to bounce in and out of formats has been really impressive.”

Hockley stressed that a schedule of seven Tests in little more than nine weeks against India and Sri Lanka, closely followed by the ODI Champions Trophy in February, meant that players needed to be carefully handled.

“Certainly in terms of the Test players we want to get them through what are effectively seven Test matches back to back and then we want players into the Champions Trophy,” he said.

“It was felt on this occasion that it was in the interests of the overall priorities for the summer that they miss the third ODI.

“The reality of the Australian setup is we’re fortunate to have more all format players than probably any other country and they’re the best in the world and generational talents.”

‘What does Ricky Ponting have to do with Indian cricket?’ Coach takes aim at Australian great

India coach Gautam Gambhir has taken aim at Ricky Ponting after the Australian great questioned the form of skipper Rohit Sharma and fading ace Virat Kohli.

A feisty Gambhir, a tough former international opening batsman, was in no mood to back down amid a flurry of questions about his team’s poor form ahead of India’s arrival in Perth on Tuesday where the first of five Tests begins next week.

The tourists are still smarting after they were whitewashed by New Zealand – the first time ever they have lost all three Tests on home shores to a visiting nation – and have form and selection issues of their own to address before their defence of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy begins.

Kohli made only 93 runs in the series, continuing a dramatic slide for the one-time batting superstar, while Rohit managed only 91 runs, and now heads to a country where he has had little success with the bat.

Ponting had questioned the longer-term form of the two batsmen on the ICC’s Review show, prompting Gamhbir to hit back.

“What does Ricky Ponting have to do with Indian cricket? He should be talking about Australia,” Gambhir said.

“Look, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma are still passionate about the game and want to achieve more. They are hungry for success and have done exceptionally well for the country over the years.”

Ponting said he had been surprised by Virat’s ongoing woes.

“I saw a stat the other day about Virat – it said he’s only scored two Test hundreds in the last five years. That didn’t seem right to me, but if that is accurate, then that’s, I mean, that’s a concern,” Ponting said.

Loading

“There probably wouldn’t be anyone else still playing international cricket as a top-order batsman who’s only scored two Test match hundreds in five years.”

Kohli’s two most recent Test tons came against Australia – in India – and the West Indies. He did make a century late in November 2019, against Bangladesh.

Kohli, who averaged more than 50 in Tests from 2016 to 2019, has suffered an alarming form dip, scoring just 1838 runs in his past 34 Tests at an average of 31.68. In 60 innings, he has passed 50 only 11 times for two centuries, while his form on the road, averaging 33.57 from his past 16 Tests, is an issue.

This year he is averaging just 22.72 in six Tests, and has fallen out of the top 20 list of the ICC men’s Test batting rankings for the first time in a decade.

Rohit, averaging 42.27 in 64 Tests, has only 133 runs in his past 10 innings, reaching double figures four times, and may miss an early Test for the birth of his second child. In seven Tests in Australia, he has a modest 408 runs at 31.38 without a century.

“They are incredibly tough men and have achieved a lot for Indian cricket and will continue to do so,” Gambhir said.

“My role is to ensure that their hunger is still there, and they continue to work really hard.”

The tourists will have 10 days to prepare for the series opener, and have opted not to have a legitimate practice match, preferring centre-wicket practice at the WACA.

“I think 10 days, if we can get good, proper preparation before the start of the series, I think we’re going to be in really good shape. We’ve got a lot of experienced players who’ve been to Australia many times. So their experience will come in handy for the young players as well,” Gambhir said.

Loading

“I’m sure these 10 days are going to be very crucial. Come the 22nd, I think we should be absolutely ready, and ready to fire from ball one.”

If Rohit does miss a Test, Gambhir said the tourists had several replacement options.

“KL Rahul and Abhimanyu Easwaran are opening options for us if Rohit Sharma isn’t available,” he said.

Gamhbir said vice-captain Jasprit Bumrah would lead in Rohit’s absence.

News, results and expert analysis from the weekend of sport are sent every Monday. Sign up for our Sport newsletter.