There were moments during the first Test against Sri Lanka at the Eden Gardens where India were in big trouble but they managed to survive and eventually had Sri Lanka on the mat before play was called off due to bad light.

Much of the trouble, though, came as a result of green wicket. It had live grass. It had moisture. It had bounce. It was almost as if India had decided to import a pitch from South Africa. The trouble had it’s advantages – prime among them was the experience of being in trouble on a pitch that was swinging and seaming.

Now, according to ESPNcricinfo, the Indian team management is asking for a similar dose in Nagpur (November 24) and Delhi (December 2) too.

It is understood that Shastri emphasised that the pitches ought to be “lively greentops”, which are “hard and bouncy”.

There is great merit in what Kohli and Shastri are trying to achieve here. The Indian skipper has mentioned innumerable times that India needs to win away from him and how that is his goal.

But, far too often, such talk would be followed by a series that would be played on rank turners. This move – to ask for bouncy, green tracks – ahead of an ‘away’ tour shows how serious Kohli and Co are about mastering alien conditions.

Cheteshwar Pujara seemed to be most at ease during the first innings at Eden Gardens when the ball was really moving about. He was fine leaving the ball outside the off-stump, had a fair idea of where his off-stump was and most importantly, he was ready to wait for the bad ball. All qualities that you need to succeed on tracks that offer help to the pacemen.

Pujara’s success could be put down to the kind of batsman he is and also the fact that he spent some time playing county cricket where the conditions tend to be similar. His experience proved to be vital. And that is why India’s batting line-up needs the experience of batting and perhaps even failing in difficult conditions before the tour of South Africa.

It will allow at least the Test specialists to go back and work on specific areas of the game. Sometimes you know what to expect but only when you get on the field do you understand how difficult things really are. You can train your mind all you want but eventually, your body has to be in sync too.

As Ashish Magotra had written in a piece recently, ‘This is a team that believes it is time to start winning not just at home but perhaps away too. Not just because it will help cement their legacy but simply because it is the only way to play.’

A quick look at India’s Test results in ‘alien’ conditions:

In Australia: 44 Tests, 5 wins, 28 losses, 11 draws, a winning percentage of 11.36
In England: 57 Tests, 6 wins, 30 losses, 21 draws, a winning percentage of 10.52
In South Africa: 17 Tests, 2 wins, 8 losses, a winning percentage of 11.76
In West Indies: 49 Tests, 7 wins, 16 losses, a winning percentage of 14.28
In New Zealand: 23 Tests, 5 wins, 8 losses, 10 draws, a winning percentage of 21.73

ODIs in ‘alien’ conditions

In Australia: 93 ODIs, 37 wins, 50 losses, a winning percentage of 42.69
In England: 71 ODIs, 35 wins, 32 losses, a winning percentage of 52.20
In South Africa: 47 ODIs, 17 wins, 26 losses, a winning percentage of 39.77
In West Indies: 42 ODIs, 17 wins, 23 losses, a winning percentage of 42.50
In New Zealand: 42 ODIs, 14 wins, 25 losses, a winning percentage of 36.25