In a year marked by the Covid-19 pandemic, Australia and India face each other in the same scenario where they began their previous encounter in 2018: the Adelaide Oval. The presence of the old scoreboard and the iconic Moreton Bay trees at the north end of the field provide a sense of continuity, an essential element in test cricket. This will be the backdrop for Tim Paine and Virat Kohli’s teams in the first day/night Test for the Indian team away from home.
This encounter between two of the most powerful cricket nations holds special value, surpassing any other clash in the last 20 years. The series itself is an achievement. Despite the influential financial forces that have driven India and Australia to contest 12 Test series since 1999, the same number that Australia has played against England in the Ashes, all participants and spectators have had moments of uncertainty about the series taking place.
In the difficult months of March, April, and May, when the sports world stopped, there was a possibility that the series would not take place. Recently, the obstacles to organizing the series were significant, despite the goodwill between Cricket Australia and the BCCI.
CA was grateful that the administrators and players from India did not raise 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 chartered plane carrying the visiting team. Initial plans to land in Perth were moved to Adelaide, then to Brisbane, before finally Sydney, Canberra, the New South Wales government and the SCG Trust took the lead. Tensions were high during negotiations with the Queensland government.
Even after the arrival of the Indians, there were possibilities of a Covid outbreak in Adelaide disrupting the series. For a long time, Adelaide Oval was scheduled to host at least one, and possibly two, Tests, given the prolonged quarantine Melbourne faced for most of the year.
Faced with this, Adelaide Oval curator Damian Hough has prepared a pitch for a test match with a focus on preparation. Hough commented that experience has taught him to live in the present and adapt to changing circumstances.
One thing we’ve learned with Covid is to be more in the present. We like to plan months in advance. We still had plans, but we had to live in the moment a little more.
Damian Hough
Training sessions in the middle of the pitch are a competitive advantage for the Australian team, especially for those who arrived earlier than those who played for Australia A against the Indians on a different surface at the SCG. Tim Paine did not hesitate to emphasize this.
Paine highlighted the importance of training in the center of the Adelaide Oval, which he considers a great advantage for his team. He acknowledged the difficulties of a Test with the pink ball, where adaptation is crucial. The adaptation of Kohli, who did not participate in the practice match at the SCG, will be a key factor. Furthermore, this is Kohli’s only Test match in the series, before Ajinkya Rahane takes over the leadership for the remaining three matches.
The Australians, with players like Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc, and Nathan Lyon, have had success in the past in getting Kohli out early. However, Kohli has demonstrated his ability to excel even against the best attacks.
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.
Tim Paine
Paine highlighted the importance of having different plans to face Kohli and the advantage of having a diverse attack. There is a certain relief in the tactical discussions and pre-series plans, rather than concerns about Covid protocols. Paine, who values his career more than most, does not feel fatigue from the current situation.
Absolutely not. I love it, to be honest. I don’t think this hub has been as strict as maybe the IPL or the one in England. I’m sleeping really well at night; my kids 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 sporting chapter is as vivid as any other, at a time when many around the world remain confined by the pandemic.
