 When the Australian squad was announced only 8 of the touring party of 15 had played a Test match in India previously including only two of the bowlers, Paul Reiffel and Shane Warne.Missing from the previous series against South Africa were Matthew Elliott, Andy Bichel, Michael Bevan, (all dropped) and Glenn McGrath (injured).Shane Warne caused something of a stir before the series began by stating that he was "not a fan of exotic cuisine", which prompted Qantas, the Australian national airline, to fly in 1,900 tins of baked beans and spaghetti for the team.