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Lack of quality practice
There was a time in 80's and 90's where preparations would start a month or two before the main series was actually played. Touring teams would reach early and start playing First-class matches with quality sides. This would help them in getting acclimatized with the local weather, food and understand the key indicators which would give them success during the Test series. As the First-class matches would be competent in nature, the touring team had the luxury to test its bench strength and give both the batsmen and bowlers game time in the middle. This would also help the teams to build some momentum before the series.
When Pakistan won successive Test series in 1992 and 1996 in England. They played 12 county matches and won the County Championship by winning 9 of them and becoming the second team after "Bradman's Invincibles" who won 15 out of their 20 county games in 1948. We all remember Sachin Tendulkar's onslaught towards Shane Warne in 1997/98, where he scored a stroke-filled 204 of 192 balls in Mumbai's Brabourne stadium and Australia got hammered by a strong Mumbai side in 3 days. It gave them enough food for thought as they got to bowl to the best batsman in the opposition.
In recent memory, we remember India going to England and winning the Test series in 2007. Zaheer Khan, who was the tormentor in that series played a season of county cricket with Worcester in England. When England won the 2012 series in India, they went and practised in Dubai where Graeme Swann and Monty Panesar strategised the pace and the lengths required to succeed in India. This was one of the rarest occasions where Indians were beaten in their own game and MS Dhoni's reliance on turners backfired.
Teams nowadays are content in having match simulations and high-intensity net sessions, which may be helpful but it won't give them enough game time and hinders them from lack of quality practice.
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