Aussies focused on win, not what it means
Mar 22, 2017 - 4:32 PM Australia are on the cusp of achieving something that would rank as a career highlight for every player, but their path to unbridled joy in Dharamsala is to be unburdened by history.Steve Smith's side arrived at the foot of the Himalayas on Wednesday, setting up camp in the mountainous town that is the home of Tibet's exiled spiritual leader the Dalai Lama.
Their four-Test series against India is locked at 1-1, with the decider to start on Saturday.
There is so much more at stake than the Border-Gavaskar trophy. Winning a Test series in India has recently been akin to climbing Mt Everest for every side in the world.
Australia's breakthrough 2004 success in India is the nation's only Test series win in India since 1969.
The top-ranked Test side has been a near-unstoppable force at home since. India's only home Test series loss in the past 12 years came against England in 2012.
"We're definitely aware of it. We know how hard it is to come over here and win the series," Peter Handscomb said.
"All we are really focusing on is the Test itself and not being too overawed by the significance of it.
"If we can go out and just go with those same plans that we've had in the previous three Tests then hopefully it looks after itself and potentially we create our own little bit of history."
Captain Smith and coach Darren Lehmann, who featured in the 2004 series as a player, last month outlined how momentous a series win would be for the new-look XI.
"This is going to be a very difficult tour," Smith said when he landed in Mumbai for the squad's only tour game before the first Test.
"We know that if we can pull something off and win a series here, we will look back in 10-20 years and it will be some of the best times of our lives."
Lehmann noted a shock series win would "mean a hell of a lot to a young group".
"Any away tour is really tough ... for us, subcontinent tours are the frontier if you like," he said.
Source: AAP
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