Australia and India: A Cricket Classic in Uncertain Times
In a year marked by the Covid-19 pandemic, Australia and India face each other in the same scenario where they began their last encounter in 2018: the Adelaide Oval. The iconic scoreboard and the Moreton Bay trees north of the field evoke the tradition of test cricket, serving as a backdrop for the teams led by Tim Paine and Virat Kohli in India’s first day/night Test away from home. This clash between two of cricket’s most powerful nations holds special value, surpassing any other encounter in the last 20 years. The simple realization of the series is a triumph in itself. Since 1999, Australia and India have contested 12 test series, a number comparable to Australia’s Ashes series against England in the same period. This year, those involved and fans feared the series would not materialize. In the difficult months of March, April and May, when the world of sport stopped, the possibility of the series’ cancellation was real. Recently, the obstacles to its realization were significant, despite the goodwill between Cricket Australia and the BCCI. CA’s interim chief executive Nick Hockley and chairman Earl Eddings faced the challenge of finding an entry point for the Indian team’s charter plane. Initial plans to land in Perth were modified to Adelaide, and then to Brisbane, before finally settling on Sydney, Canberra, the New South Wales government and the SCG Trust. Negotiations with the Queensland government were particularly tense. Even after the arrival of the Indians, a Covid outbreak in Adelaide could have altered the series. For a long time, the Adelaide Oval was scheduled to host at least one, and possibly two, test matches, given the prolonged quarantine in Melbourne. However, the outbreak forced contingency measures to be implemented, considering a day/night Test at the MCG and a more traditional game starting on December 26. Damian Hough, the curator of Adelaide Oval, accustomed to events like rock concerts and changes of football matches, prepared a playing field for a test match with a Christmas parade as a prelude.Hough also commented on the advantage of practice sessions in the center of the field for the Australian team. Paine highlighted the importance of practice in the center of the Adelaide Oval field for the Australian team, especially in a match with a pink ball, where adaptation is key. Kohli’s adaptation, who did not participate in the warm-up match at the SCG, will be crucial in Adelaide. Furthermore, this is Kohli’s only test match in the series, before Ajinkya Rahane takes over the leadership in the remaining three games. Australians, with players like Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc, and Nathan Lyon, have been successful in limiting Kohli in previous series. Paine acknowledged Kohli’s ability to adapt and damage any attack.“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
Paine, who values his career more than most, does not feel fatigue from the “bubbles” and enjoys the environment.“Virat is certainly one of the best players, if not the best player in the world,” Paine said. “We have plans that have worked well against him in the past; hopefully they work early enough this week, but if not, we have a couple of different plans. The good thing about our attack is that they are all different, we also have Nathan Lyon and now we add Greeny, we have different angles, different speeds and obviously Nathan’s spin, as well as Marnus, so we have a lot of different options to throw at him if he gets in and gets set.”
Tim Paine
The events of 2020 have ensured that this new chapter is as vibrant as any sporting competition, at a time when many in the world remain confined by the pandemic.“Absolutely not. I love it, to be honest,” Paine said. “I don’t think this bubble has been as strict as 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 bubble might make me play longer, if anything.”
Tim Paine
