In a year marked by the Covid-19 crisis, Australia and India face each other on the same stage where they began their last encounter in 2018: the majestic Adelaide Oval. The familiar view of the scoreboard and the Moreton Bay trees to the north of the field offer a sense of continuity inherent in Test cricket, and will serve as a backdrop for the teams of Tim Paine and Virat Kohli in the first day/night Test for India away from home. This encounter between two of the most powerful cricket nations promises to be even more special than any other clash in the last 20 years, a period of almost constant contact. The series itself is a triumph. Despite the significant financial forces that have driven India and Australia to play no less than 12 Test series since 1999, all participants and spectators have had moments this year when the realization of the series seemed uncertain. In the difficult months of March, April and May, when the world was almost completely devoid of sports, there was plenty of time to reflect on that gloomy possibility. More recently, the problems focused on the obstacles to organizing the series, despite the goodwill between Cricket Australia and the BCCI. CA thanked that the administrators and players from India never raised significant issues about the tour. The challenges for CA’s interim CEO, Nick Hockley, and chairman Earl Eddings, focused on finding an entry point for the charter plane carrying the touring team. The initial plans to land in Perth were moved to Adelaide, then to Brisbane, before finally being accepted by Sydney, Canberra, the New South Wales government, and the SCG Trust. Anxiety levels were high, especially during a negotiation with the Queensland government. Even after the Indians arrived, there was a possibility that the series could be disrupted by a Covid outbreak in Adelaide. For a long time, Adelaide Oval was going to host at least one Test, and possibly two, given the prolonged quarantine Melbourne faced for much of the year. The Adelaide Oval curator, Damian Hough, who has dealt with rock concerts and football schedule changes in the past, prepared a Test pitch with a Christmas parade instead of Sheffield Shield games as preparation.
Hough also highlighted the competitive advantage of the training sessions in the center court for the Australian team. The Australian captain, Tim Paine, commented on the importance of training in the center of the Adelaide Oval pitch.“One thing we’ve learned with Covid is to be more in the present,” Hough said. “We like to plan months in advance. We still had plans, but we had to live in the moment a little more,” he added. “A U2 concert last year was a much bigger challenge than what we’re going through this year. I never thought I’d see a Christmas parade at the Adelaide Oval, so it’s a unique year.”
Damian Hough
“We were very lucky to get to Adelaide early,” he said. “We trained three nights in a row in the middle of the Adelaide Oval pitch, which I think will be a huge advantage for our team. It’s the hardest thing about the Test with the pink ball; you normally get it once a year. Sometimes with a Shield match, this time without one. So you’re learning on the go, in real time, when you go out on the field.”
Tim PaineKohli’s adaptation, who didn’t even play in the warm-up match at the SCG, will be a critical factor in the result in Adelaide. It will be accentuated by the fact that this is Kohli’s only Test for the series. Australians, with players like Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc, and Nathan Lyon, have succeeded in dismissing Kohli early in each of the last two series. Paine acknowledged the plans to face Kohli, highlighting the Indian player’s adaptability.Paine also valued the tactical discussions and plans before the series, rather than the Covid protocols and border restrictions. Paine, who values his Test career more than most after nearly retiring from cricket altogether in 2017, did not feel “bubble fatigue”.“Everyone has big plans to get the best players out, don’t they? But that’s why they’re the best, they can adapt, they can change with what you’re doing, and Virat is undoubtedly one of the best players, if not the best player in the world,” Paine said. “There will be a time in this, well, there’s really only one Test, so let’s hope not, but when you play against players as good as Virat, sometimes they get away from you, that’s just the game.”
Tim PaineThe events of 2020 have ensured that this last chapter is as vivid as any sporting competition, while many around the world remain confined by a pandemic.“Absolutely not. I love it, to be honest,” Paine said. “I don’t think this hub has been as strict as perhaps the IPL or the one in England. I sleep very well at night; my children are at home, which is good in a way, but I certainly miss them. But I sleep better here and feel fresher here than at home, so life in the hub might make me play longer, if anything.”
Tim Paine
