Australia and India: An Epic Duel Amid the Pandemic
In a year marked by the Covid-19 pandemic, Australia and India prepare to face each other on the same stage where their last encounter began in 2018: the Adelaide Oval. The presence of the scoreboard and the emblematic Moreton Bay trees provide a sense of continuity, an essential element in Test cricket, and will serve as 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 the most powerful cricket nations promises to be memorable, exceeding the expectations of any previous match in the last 20 years. The series itself is an achievement, considering the current circumstances. Since 1999, India and Australia have contested 12 Test series, a number similar to the Ashes series Australia has played against England in the same period. However, this year, the uncertainty about the series taking place was palpable due to the challenges posed by the pandemic. In the difficult months of March, April and May, when the world of sport stopped, the possibility of the series not taking place was a real concern. Recently, the obstacles focused on how to organize the series, despite the goodwill existing between Cricket Australia and the BCCI. The main challenge for CA’s interim CEO, Nick Hockley, and chairman Earl Eddings, was 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, before finally falling on Sydney, Canberra, the New South Wales government, and the SCG Trust. Negotiations with the Queensland government generated great anxiety. 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, the Adelaide Oval was scheduled to host at least one, and possibly two, test matches, given the situation in Melbourne. The Adelaide Oval curator, Damian Hough, who has managed rock concerts and football matches, had to prepare a pitch for a test match with a Christmas holiday as a prelude. “One thing we’ve learned with Covid is to live more in the present,” said Hough. “We like to plan months in advance. We still had plans, but we had to live in the moment a little more.” Practice sessions in the middle of the field represent an invaluable competitive advantage for the Australian players who arrived before those who played for Australia A against the Indians on another surface at the SCG, something that Paine did not hesitate to highlight.
Paine expressed his appreciation for his Test career, highlighting that life in the “bubble” has not negatively affected him, but has allowed him to rest and feel fresher than at home. In a year where the world has been affected by the pandemic, this confrontation promises to be an unforgettable sporting event.“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. “There’s going to be a moment in this, well, there’s only one Test actually, so hopefully not, but when you play against players as good as Virat, sometimes they get away from you, that’s just the game.”
Tim Paine
