Media mogul Kerry Packer, while promoting his groundbreaking ‘World Series day / night test matches’ on Channel 9 in the late 1970s, had an unforgettable title: “Big boys play at night.”
Even in 2020, there couldn’t have been a more appropriate catchphrase for a series where Kohli’s magnificence meets her partner in Steve SmithManic consistency, Cheteshwar Pujara’s tenacity challenged by a much younger Marnus Labuschagne, ready to show the world that he is not a one-season wonder. All of this would be under lights at the Adelaide Oval.
And then there are those quick and mean men on both sides aiming to instill the fear of the pink ball in the twilight zone, creating all kinds of doubts in the minds of hitters.
A Josh Hazlewood against Mohammed shami will be as tantalizing a subplot as Jasprit Bumrah pitching those yorkers in response to Pat cummins‘barrage of gorillas.
With a workhorse like Ishant Sharma absent from the Indian ranks and enforcer David Warner absent from the Australian lineup, the teams are evenly placed in terms of strength.
However, there will certainly be a clear home advantage for Australia along with the experience of playing more events day and night.
A day / night test match has its own grammar in which the batsmen are expected to attack in the first session while the bowlers are at their peak once the sun sets, allowing the pink kookaburra speed up your pace.
Never has an Indian team had so many options to choose from with multiple options for various positions.
Even 24 hours before the game, one cannot be sure exactly what would be the perfect match for a test match that is not exactly conventional in nature.
And the two practice games have only presented more dilemmas for India rather than giving them the definitive answers they were looking for in matches.
The biggest debate is the opening position. Prithvi Shaw and Mayank Agarwal, as a couple, flopped in New Zealand on seam courts and Shaw’s happy hitting technique of shooting a ball doesn’t exactly inspire the most confidence.
At Shubman Gill, India has one for the future, but will Kohli and Ravi Shastri be ready to throw a youngster to the bottom of the pool or bypass KL Rahul’s poor testing record and make more of their experience?
Two days before the game, no clear picture has emerged, although Gill’s hitting has earned him the vote of Allan Border and Sunil Gavaskar, the two names inscribed on the glittering trophy the teams play for.
Can Rahul fit in at number 6?
But then it would be at the expense of Hanuma Vihari, who has done nothing wrong in his two years with the Indian team and can also play some part-time breaks. Are you prepared to take that risk? No one knows at this time.
And then the ongoing debate over who is most needed: goalie and hitter Rishabh Pant or goalie and hitter Wriddhiman Saha?
Saha’s fifty in the red ball first class match was achieved in a more difficult setting than Pant’s 100 of 73 under lights against a second rope attack.
But Pant can be a match winner, while Saha is a match saver with the bat at best.
Both techniques are fragile and Hazlewood, Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Nathan Lyon will put them to the test tirelessly.
On Tuesday, India’s top batsmen were concerned about Thangarasu Natarajan’s incoming deliveries with pink kookaburra into Adelaide nets.
If Natarajan, over 130 years old, can worry them so much, then Starc, the world’s best ground receiver in pink ball events, may be threatening.
Sometimes fewer options make the choice easier and Kohli would hope that he makes the right decisions so Ajinkya Rahane can help India make an encore once he takes a break.
Squads:
India: Virat Kohli (captain), Mayank Agarwal, Shubman Gill, Prithvi Shaw, KL Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane (vc), Hanuma Vihari, Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Rishabh Pant (wk), Ravichandra Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah, Umesh Yadav, Navdeep Saini, Mohammed Siraj, Kuldeep Yadav.
Australia: Tim paine (captain and goalkeeper), Joe Burns, Pat Cummins, Cameron Green, Marcus Harris, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Moises Henriques, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Michael Neser, James Pattinson, Steven Smith, Mitchell Starc, Mitchell Swepson, Matthew Wade .
The game starts at 9:30 am IST.
.
