CLT20: Langer says it’s tough to play in India

Sydney: Big Bash team Perth Scorchers`s coach Justin Langer has said that the team will not know how to cope with Indian conditions until it `tastes the sugar` by playing in the Champions League , and that the players were looking forward to it.

According to the Sydney Morning Herald, the Scorchers held a pre-season camp in Darwin in a bid to acclimatize to the weather conditions they are likely to face in India. Not only have they been hit hard by injuries and withdrawals before a ball has even been bowled, but a large chunk of the squad has little or no experience of playing cricket in India, where the stifling conditions and crumbling pitches makes for a hard day at the office, the report said. Langer said that it was tough to play in India, and it was like sugar because one doesn`t know how it tastes until one tastes it. The Scorchers will be without Shaun Marsh, Mitch Marsh and Pat Cummins through injury, while Mike Hussey and Nathan Coulter-Nile are also unavailable after being selected by their respective Indian Premier League sides, the report added. Scorchers: Ashton Agar, Michael Beer, Jason Behrendorff, Hilton Cartwright, Burt Cockley, Liam Davis, Brad Hogg, Simon Katich (capt), Joe Mennie, Marcus North, Joel Paris, Tom Triffitt, Ashton Turner, Adam Voges, Sam Whiteman. ANI