Australia vs India: Cricket Clash in Adelaide after Chaotic Year

Australia and India face off in Adelaide in a historic duel

After a year marked by the Covid-19 pandemic, Australia and India prepare for a new confrontation at the Adelaide Oval, the same venue where they began their previous series in 2018. The image of the scoreboard and the iconic Moreton Bay trees provide a sense of essential continuity for test cricket, serving 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 cricket’s most powerful nations promises to be memorable, especially considering the challenges they faced to make the series happen. From March to May, uncertainty reigned in the sports world, and more recently, the obstacles to organizing the series were significant, despite the goodwill between Cricket Australia and the BCCI. CA’s interim CEO Nick Hockley and chairman Earl Eddings faced challenges in finding a point of entry for the charter plane carrying the Indian team. Initial plans to land in Perth were modified, going through Adelaide and Brisbane, before finally settling on Sydney, Canberra and the New South Wales government. Even after the Indians arrived, there was a chance that a Covid outbreak in Adelaide would disrupt the series. Adelaide Oval curator Damian Hough, who has dealt with rock concerts and changes to football matches, prepared a test pitch with a Christmas parade as preparation.

“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 a little more in the moment.”

Damian Hough

Practice sessions in the center of the court are presented as a competitive advantage for the Australian players, who arrived earlier than those who played for Australia A on a different surface at the SCG. Tim Paine highlighted the importance of this preparation. Kohli’s adjustment, who did not participate in the practice match at the SCG, will be crucial. Furthermore, this will be Kohli’s only test match in the series, before Ajinkya Rahane takes over the leadership in the remaining three matches.

Virat Kohli and Tim Paine prepare for the face-off.Australians, with players like Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc, and Nathan Lyon, have succeeded in dismissing Kohli early in the last two series. However, Kohli has shown that he can be dangerous even for the most formidable attack. Paine commented on the strategy to face Kohli: “We have plans that have worked well against him in the past; hopefully they work early this week, but if not, we have a couple of different plans. The good thing about our attack is that everyone is different, we also have Nathan Lyon and now we add Greeny, we have different angles, different speeds and, obviously, Nathan’s spin, as well as Marnus, so we have many different options to throw at him if he settles”. Paine, who considers his test career more than most, does not feel fatigue from the “bubbles” and enjoys the current situation: “No, not at all. I love it, to be honest. I think this bubble hasn’t 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 bubble might make me play longer in any case.” The events of 2020 have ensured that this last chapter is as vivid as any sporting competition, especially when many around the world remain confined by the pandemic.