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

Australia and India Face Off in Adelaide: A 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 old scoreboard and the iconic Moreton Bay trees provide a sense of continuity in Test cricket, a perfect backdrop for the teams led by Tim Paine and Virat Kohli in India’s first day/night Test away from home. This encounter between two of the most powerful cricket nations promises to be more special than any other in the last 20 years, a period of almost constant contact between both teams. The mere realization of the series is an achievement in itself.

Despite the financial forces driving India and Australia to play at least 12 Test series since 1999, everyone involved and the spectators have experienced moments of uncertainty about the viability of the series this year.

In the difficult months of March, April and May, when the world of sport almost completely stopped, the possibility that the series would not take place was a constant concern. Recently, the obstacles to organizing the series were numerous, despite the good will existing between Cricket Australia and the BCCI. 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 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 decided 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. For a long time, Adelaide Oval was scheduled to host at least one and possibly two Test matches, given the prolonged quarantine Melbourne faced for most of the year, which generated uncertainty about Boxing Day until October. But the outbreak that forced a hard but brief lockdown in South Australia caused changes in plans, with the possibility of starting the Test series with a day/night match at the MCG and then continuing with a more traditional game from December 26. All these permutations were on the mind of the Adelaide Oval curator, Damian Hough.

“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 in the moment a little more.”

Damian Hough

The sessions in the middle of the field are shaping up as an invaluable competitive advantage for the members of the Australian team 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 affirm.

Legend: Virat Kohli and Tim Paine are expected to face each other with optimism later this year. Mark Evans/Stringer Paine highlighted the importance of having trained in the center of the Adelaide Oval field for three consecutive nights, which he considers a great advantage for his team. Adapting to the conditions, especially with the pink ball and under the lights, is crucial. Kohli, who did not participate in the practice match at the SCG, will have to adjust his game quickly, considering that this is his only Test of the series. With figures 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 is key, as Kohli has shown he can be lethal even against the most formidable attacks.

“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 pointed out that the Australian team has established plans that have worked against Kohli in the past and that they have different attacking options to counter him, including Nathan Lyon and Marnus. Instead of concerns about Covid protocols, border restrictions and the financial impacts of the year, tactical discussions and plans for the match offer a respite. Paine, who values his Test career more than most, does not feel bubble fatigue.

“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, especially at a time when so many people around the world remain confined by the pandemic.