Australia and India Face Off in Adelaide: A Classic in Times of Covid
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 they began their previous series in 2018. The presence of the old scoreboard and the iconic Moreton Bay trees at the north end of the field provide a sense of continuity, an element intrinsic to test cricket, and will serve as a 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 cricket’s most powerful nations promises to be even more special than on previous occasions, especially considering that the series has managed to take place. Since 1999, India and Australia have played 12 test series, a number similar to the Ashes series that Australia has played against England in the same period. In the difficult months of March, April and May, when the world of sport almost completely stopped, the uncertainty about the realization of the series was palpable. Despite the goodwill between Cricket Australia and the BCCI, overcoming the obstacles to organize the series was a challenge. The challenges for CA’s interim chief executive Nick Hockley and chairman Earl Eddings centered on finding an entry point for the chartered plane carrying the visiting team. Initial plans to land in Perth were moved to Adelaide and then to Brisbane, before Sydney, Canberra, the New South Wales government and the SCG Trust were finally chosen. Anxiety reached its peak during a long negotiation with the Queensland government. Even after the arrival of the Indians, there was a possibility that a Covid outbreak in Adelaide would alter the series. For a long time, the Adelaide Oval was scheduled to host at least one test and possibly two, given the prolonged quarantine in Melbourne. However, the outbreak that forced a brief lockdown in South Australia led to considering the possibility of starting the test series with a day/night test at the MCG. The Adelaide Oval curator, Damian Hough, has had to deal with rock concerts and changes to football matches, but this year he prepared a pitch for a test match with a Christmas show instead of the Sheffield Shield games as a prelude.Hough also commented on the advantage of being able to offer Australia midfield training, which gave them invaluable preparation. Training in the middle of the field is an invaluable competitive advantage for the Australian team members who arrived before those who played for Australia A against the Indians.“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
Paine also mentioned the advantage the Australian team has with its different attacking options. For Paine, being in a “bubble” hasn’t affected him, highlighting that he sleeps better and feels fresher than at home. The series between India and Australia, amidst the pandemic, promises to be a memorable 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 undoubtedly one of the best players, if not the best player in the world,” Paine said.
Tim Paine
