Australia vs India: Cricket Resurfaces in Adelaide after a Chaotic Year

Australia and India Clash in Adelaide: A Duel Marked by Uncertainty and Preparation

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 scoreboard and the iconic Moreton Bay trees provide a sense of continuity, a 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 is a significant event, especially after a year full of challenges. Influential financial forces have driven India and Australia to play 12 Test series since 1999, a number similar to the Ashes series that Australia has played against England in the same period.

During the difficult months of March, April and May, when world sport stopped, the uncertainty about the realization of this series was palpable. Despite the good will between Cricket Australia and the BCCI, the obstacles to organizing the event were numerous. CA’s interim chief executive Nick Hockley and chairman Earl Eddings had to find 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 welcomed by 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 pitch with a Christmas parade instead of Sheffield Shield matches as a prelude.

“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

The training sessions in the center of the court are shaping up as 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, something that Paine did not hesitate to highlight.

Paine stated: “We have been fortunate enough to get to Adelaide early. We trained three nights in a row in the middle of the pitch at the 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 get it once a year. Sometimes with a Shield match, this time without one. So you’re practically learning on the go, in real time, when you go out on the field.” Kohli’s adaptation, who didn’t even play in the warm-up match at the SCG, will be crucial to the result in Adelaide. Furthermore, this is Kohli’s only test match in the series, making it a unique event before Ajinkya Rahane takes over the leadership 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 each of the previous two series. However, once past that phase, Kohli has shown that he can damage even the most formidable attack. Paine commented: “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 undoubtedly one of the best players, if not the best player in the world.”

Instead of concerns about Covid protocols, border restrictions and financial impacts, tactical discussions and pre-series Test plans provide a respite. Paine, who values his Test career more than most after nearly retiring from cricket in 2017, did not feel “bubble fatigue” at this time.

Paine added: “Absolutely not. I love it, to be honest. I don’t think this bubble has been as strict as maybe 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 bubble life might make me play longer, if anything.” The events of 2020 have ensured that this latest chapter is as vivid as any sporting competition, while many around the world remain confined by a pandemic.