Australia vs India: Cricket match in Adelaide, a respite after a chaotic year

Australia and India Clash in Adelaide: A Cricket Classic in Uncertain Times

In a year marked by the Covid-19 pandemic, Australia and India prepare for a new confrontation at the Adelaide Oval, the same venue where their previous series began in 2018. The presence of the historical scoreboard and the iconic Moreton Bay trees in the background offer a sense of continuity in test cricket, creating a special atmosphere for the teams led by Tim Paine and Virat Kohli, in the first day/night Test that India will play away from home. This encounter between two of the most powerful cricket nations promises to be more significant than any other clash in the last two decades. The realization of the series itself is a triumph, considering the challenges that were presented. During the toughest months of March, April and May, when the sports world stopped, the possibility of the series not taking place was real. Despite the goodwill between Cricket Australia and the BCCI, the obstacles to organizing the matches were considerable. Cricket Australia thanked India’s administrators and players for not raising 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 charter plane carrying the visiting team. Initial plans to land in Perth were moved to Adelaide, then to Brisbane and finally to Sydney, Canberra, the New South Wales government and the SCG Trust. Even after the arrival of the Indians, there was a possibility that a Covid outbreak in Adelaide would disrupt the series. Adelaide Oval curator Damian Hough has had to deal with rock concerts and changes to football matches, but this year he prepared a test track with a Christmas parade instead of Sheffield Shield matches 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,” he added.

Damian Hough

Hough also commented on the preparation and the advantages this gives to the Australian team. More than anything, these sessions are an invaluable competitive advantage for the members of the Australian team who arrived before those who played for Australia A against the Indians on a different surface at the SCG.

It is increasingly likely that Virat Kohli and Tim Paine will face each other later this year.The Australian captain, Tim Paine, highlighted the importance of training on the center pitch of the Adelaide Oval. Kohli’s adaptation, who did not participate in the warm-up match at the SCG, will be crucial for the result in Adelaide. This is compounded by the fact that this is Kohli’s only test match in the series, before Ajinkya Rahane takes over the captaincy for the remaining three matches. With players like Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc, and Nathan Lyon, the Australians have succeeded in dismissing Kohli early in the last two series. Overcoming that phase, however, demonstrates that Kohli can damage even the most formidable attack.

“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.

Tim Paine

Paine also talked about the team’s plans and the different options they have to face Kohli. There is something refreshing about tactical discussions and plans on the eve of a test series, rather than Covid protocols, border restrictions and the financial blows of the year to date. Paine, who cherishes his test career more than most, had no notion of “bubble fatigue” at this point.

“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 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 latest chapter is as vivid as any sporting competition, when so many around the world remain confined by a pandemic.