Playing too much cricket before Oz tour not good: Dahiya

New Delhi: Expressing concern over Indian team playing too much cricket before their crucial tour of Australia in December-January, former India cricketer Vijay Dahiya said it is not an ideal way to prepare for an important series.

After a forgettable tour of England, where the Mahendra Singh Dhoni`s men were completely whitewashed in all three formats of the game, India will face a bigger challenge when they travel to Australia, feels former India wicketkeeper. "For me, it`s not the home series against England or the West Indies but the four-Test series tour of Australia, which is very important for the India team. Many senior players will be playing against Australia in Australia for the last time. So, this is the series I am looking forward to," said Dahiya. "With India playing against England and the West Indies at home, the question here is not about ideal preparation but playing too much cricket before the important series.” "After the IPL, Dhoni`s men toured the West Indies and England, and now England is here and West Indies will arrive next month. So the question is, can we afford to play this much amount of cricket before an important tour like Australia?," asked Dahiya. He also stressed that the young pacers should be given a chance to find a place for themselves in the side. "Varun Aaron and Umesh Yadav are two good fast bowlers. We need to give them more opportunities," he said. PTI