Australia vs India: A Cricket Classic Resurfaces After a Chaotic Year

Australia and India: Duel at Adelaide Oval Amid a Complex Year

In closing a year marked by the Covid-19 pandemic, Australia and India prepare to face each other on the same stage where they began their last encounter in 2018: the emblematic Adelaide Oval. The view of the scoreboard and the Moreton Bay fig trees offer a sense of continuity inherent in Test cricket, a backdrop for the teams led by Tim Paine and Virat Kohli in the first day/night Test for India away from home. This clash between two of cricket’s most powerful nations promises to be memorable, exceeding the expectations of any previous encounter in the last 20 years. The very realization of the series is an achievement in itself.

Despite the financial forces driving the 12 test tournaments between India and Australia since 1999, everyone involved and the spectators have experienced moments of uncertainty about the viability of the series this year. In the critical months of March, April and May, when global sport stopped, the possibility that the series would not materialize was real.

Cricket Australia (CA) has thanked the lack of significant inconveniences from India’s administrators and players, despite the challenges CA faced, including conflicts with state associations, state governments, and the broadcasters with rights. The main obstacles for CA’s interim CEO, Nick Hockley, and chairman Earl Eddings, were finding an entry point for the charter plane carrying the visiting team. Initial plans to land in Perth were moved to Adelaide, then to Brisbane, before finally settling on Sydney, Canberra, the New South Wales government, and the SCG Trust. Tensions reached their peak during an unsuccessful negotiation with the Queensland government. Even after the arrival of the Indians, a Covid outbreak in Adelaide threatened to disrupt the series. For a long time, Adelaide Oval was scheduled to host at least one, and possibly two, Tests, given the prolonged quarantine in Melbourne, which overshadowed Boxing Day until October. However, the outbreak that forced a brief lockdown in South Australia led to considering the possibility of starting the test series with a Day/Night Test at the MCG and then continuing with a more traditional game from December 26. These variations were on the mind of Adelaide Oval curator, Damian Hough.

“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 continued. “[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

The Adelaide Oval staff had the opportunity to prepare the playing field. The Australian team had the opportunity to train in the center of the field on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, which gave them a competitive advantage. Paine highlighted the importance of training in the center of the field at the Adelaide Oval, which he considers a crucial advantage. Adjusting to the conditions, especially with the pink ball and the lights, will be key, and the Australian team has taken advantage of three nights of training to adapt. Kohli’s adaptation, who did not participate in the preparation match at the SCG, will be crucial, especially considering that this is his only Test of the series. Ajinkya Rahane will take over the leadership in the remaining three matches. Australians, with players like Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc, and Nathan Lyon, have had success in dismissing Kohli early in previous series. Paine acknowledges Kohli’s ability to adapt and cause damage, and the Australian team has plans to counter him.

“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 certainly 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 the game.”

Tim Paine

Paine, who values his test career, shows no signs of “bubble fatigue”.

“Absolutely not. I love it, to be honest,” Paine said. “I don’t think this hub has been as strict as maybe 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

The events of 2020 have ensured that this new chapter is as vibrant as any sporting competition, at a time when many around the world remain confined by the pandemic.