Australia vs India: Cricket Classic Resurfaces Amid Pandemic

Australia and India: Clash of Giants in Adelaide

In 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 Adelaide Oval. The image of the iconic scoreboard and the Moreton Bay trees north of the field evoke the continuity of test cricket, an impressive backdrop for the teams led by Tim Paine and Virat Kohli in the first day/night Test for India away from home. This series, more than any other clash between these cricket powers in the last 20 years, has a special value. The simple possibility of it being played is a triumph in itself. Since 1999, Australia and India have contested 12 test series, the same number that Australia has played against England in the Ashes. During the difficult months of March, April and May, when the sports world stopped, the uncertainty about the series taking place was palpable. Despite the goodwill between Cricket Australia and the BCCI, the challenges to carry out the event were significant. CA’s interim chief executive Nick Hockley and chairman Earl Eddings faced logistical hurdles, such as finding a point of entry for the visiting team’s charter plane. Initial plans to land in Perth were moved to Adelaide, then to Brisbane, before finally settling on Sydney, Canberra and the New South Wales government. Even with the arrival of the Indians, a Covid outbreak in Adelaide could have disrupted the series. The Adelaide Oval was scheduled to host at least one Test, possibly two, given the prolonged lockdown in Melbourne. Adelaide Oval curator Damian Hough, who has managed rock concerts and football scheduling changes, has prepared a test track with a festive atmosphere instead of Sheffield Shield games as preparation.

“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.”

Damian Hough

Training in the midfield is a key competitive advantage for the Australian team.

Virat Kohli and Tim Paine

Paine highlighted the importance of having arrived early in Adelaide, training in the center of the field for three consecutive nights, which he considers a significant advantage for his team. Kohli’s adaptation, who did not participate in the practice match at the SCG, will be crucial. Furthermore, this is Kohli’s only test match in the series, before Ajinkya Rahane takes over the captaincy. With players like Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc, and Nathan Lyon, the Australians have had success in limiting Kohli in previous series. Paine recognizes Kohli’s ability to adapt and change the game.

“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.

Tim Paine

Paine, who values his cricket career more than most, shows no signs of fatigue from the situation, but rather enjoys the atmosphere and feels more rested in the concentration environment than at home. In a year where many remain confined by the pandemic, this new chapter between India and Australia promises to be as vibrant as any other sporting event.