Australia and India clash in Adelaide: A duel with history and challenges
In a year marked by the COVID-19 pandemic, Australia and India prepare for a new confrontation, repeating the scenario of their previous encounter in 2018: the iconic Adelaide Oval. The field, with its traditional marker and Moreton Bay trees, offers a sense of continuity in test cricket. This will be the backdrop for the teams led by 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 even more special than their previous clashes, which have been constant over the last two decades. The very realization of the series is an achievement in itself. Since 1999, India and Australia have contested 12 test series, a number comparable to the Ashes series that Australia has played against England in the same period. In the difficult months of March, April and May, when sport practically stopped, the possibility of the series not taking place was real. The obstacles to organizing the series, despite the goodwill existing between Cricket Australia and the BCCI, were considerable. In a year in which its leaders faced challenges with state associations, state governments and broadcasters, Cricket Australia was grateful that India’s administrators and players did not raise major problems with the tour. The biggest challenges for CA’s interim CEO Nick Hockley and chairman Earl Eddings were finding a port of entry for the charter plane carrying the visiting team. Initial plans to land in Perth were moved to Adelaide, then to Brisbane, before finally being accommodated by Sydney, Canberra, the New South Wales government and the SCG Trust. Concerns were high during negotiations with the Queensland government. Even after the arrival of the Indians, there was a possibility that a COVID-19 outbreak in Adelaide would alter the series. For a long time, Adelaide Oval was due to host at least one and possibly two test matches, given the lockdown situation in Melbourne. However, the outbreak that forced a brief lockdown in South Australia forced a rethink of the series, starting with a day/night test match at the MCG and then continuing with a more traditional match starting on December 26. These possible modifications were considered by Adelaide Oval curator Damian Hough.Training in the middle of the field is a competitive advantage for the Australian players, who arrived earlier than those who played for Australia A against the Indians on a different surface at the SCG. The Australian captain, Tim Paine, highlighted the importance of having trained in the center of the Adelaide Oval field. “We were lucky enough to get to Adelaide early,” he said. “We trained three nights in a row in the center of the field at Adelaide Oval, which I think will be a big advantage for our team. It’s the most difficult thing about the Test with the pink ball; you usually have 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.” Kohli’s adaptation, who did not play in the warm-up match at the SCG, will be crucial to the result in Adelaide. In addition, this is Kohli’s only test match in the series, before Ajinkya Rahane takes over the captaincy in the remaining three matches. With players like Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc, and Nathan Lyon, the Australians have had success in dismissing Kohli early in the last two series. However, Kohli has shown that he can cause damage even to the most formidable attacks. Paine acknowledged Kohli’s skill. “Everyone has big plans to get the best players out, don’t they?, but that’s why they are the best, they can adapt, they can change with what you are doing, and Virat is certainly one of the best players, if not the best player in the world,” Paine said. Tactical discussions and plans on the eve of the test series are a relief from COVID protocols, border restrictions and the financial impacts of the year. Paine, who appreciates his cricket career more than most after nearly retiring in 2017, does not feel “bubble fatigue” at this time. “Absolutely not. I love it, to be honest,” Paine said. “I don’t think this bubble has been as strict as the IPL or England’s. I sleep very 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 bubble might make me play longer.” The events of 2020 have ensured that this latest chapter is as vivid as any sporting competition, especially as many around the world remain confined by the pandemic.“One thing we’ve learned with Covid is to live 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 said. “A U2 concert last year was a much bigger challenge than what we are going through this year. I never thought I would see a Christmas parade at the Adelaide Oval, so it’s a unique year.”
Damian Hough
