Australia is one of the most difficult places, if not the most difficult, to play cricket. Ask India, ask England or any subcontinent, they will tell you the story. Australia’s attitude had also been very good for touring teams in the past.
It’s not just about the 11 men on the field. From the support staff to the Australian media, who are often seen as an extension of the cricket team, they never miss an opportunity to test the opposition sides. “Mental disintegration” was a term popularized by former Australia captain Steve Waugh and his men. When you’re Down Under, it’s not a gentleman’s game.
When the ‘Adelaide 36ers’ were punctured
AP Photo
However, in the run-up to the ongoing series against India, the build was drastically different. India is one of the most sought-after tourist destinations, considering the crowds they manage to attract overseas. Australia had pinned their hopes for a very successful start to the season with the full series against India, especially after Covid hit the coffers of world cricket badly. The limited ones the series was friendlySo much so that several former cricketers wanted a bit of spice.
A cautious approach from the Australians turned aggressive right after the first test. India were packaged for 36, its lowest test score in history, and newspaper headlines hinted at the shift in narrative.
“Adelaide 36ers,” screamed a headline. Former Australian cricketers, including Mark Waugh and Ricky Ponting, gave India “no hope” to recover, especially after Virat Kohli’s departure from paternity leave and the injury of the main pacemaker Mohammed Shami.
Head coach Justin Langer did not refrain from talking about putting pressure on alternate captain Ajinkya Rahane. Australia was going to kill, but little did they know what awaited them in Melbourne.
When India refrained from falling into the trap
Ajinkya Rahane, calm and collected, leads India to a memorable victory at MCG (AP Photo)
Galvanized India Equipment as a group under Rahane in the Boxing Day Test. They did not have some of their stars, but the visitors accepted the challenge and proved that they were more than one individual in particular. Cricket is a team game and India put on a collective performance at the Boxing Day event. There was a substitute captain in Rahane, but new leaders emerged and India fought hard to complete one of the “greatest comebacks in world cricket”.
Over the course of the 4 days in Melbourne, Australia’s problems were exposed which were masked by an extraordinary bowling spell during those 45 minutes in Adelaide. his the batting unit seemed wafer-thin in the absence of his chief executor, David Warner. Steve Smith’s form (or lack of it) severely hurt Australia’s batting prospects. The hosts, who produced some of the best test hitters, have yet to cross 200 in the current series. The character that was shown during India’s 8-wicket victory must certainly have been too unwieldy, this time for the hosts.
When mind games started to get ugly
The narrative has changed once again after the second test. This time, it is not about the absence of Kohli or Shami or Umesh Yadav. Once the superstar captain made his way home, Australia resorted to dirty mind games. The hosts have only won the ODI series. They lost the T20Is and may not have expected India to recover after the Adelaide horror. But the visitors are now an unsuspecting bunch.
5 Indian players alleged have broken the biosecurity bubble that Cricket Australia launched in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Rohit Sharma, Rishabh Pant, Navdeep Saini, Shubman Gill and Prithvi Shaw were seen dining at a Melbourne restaurant in a video shared by an Indian fan who claimed to have paid the bill for the cricket stars. While initially claiming that he received a hug from Pant, the fan apologized for it, saying there was no contact between him and the players and that proper physical distancing was maintained throughout dinner.
This is not a bio-bubble violation, as Cricket Australia rules allow players to go out to dinner, but limit them to eating outside. The 5-player group from India had to move indoors after a brief period of rain at night, according to sources.
Cricket Australia, understandably, does not want to leave anything to chance at a time when the New South Wales government has imposed certain restrictions to address growing cases of novel coronavirus at hotspots near northern beaches. The cricket board said in its statement that it will investigate whether there was a bio-bubble rupture while the 5 players have been placed in preventive isolation.
However, the leadership of the Indian team seems to be clear on their position. While India Today reported that Team India will refute the bio-bubble burst accusations, it came to light on Sunday that the 5 players in question will travel with the rest of the team. The management of the Indian team also believes that it is “unfair” to blame the five cricketers for going out to dinner when they were governed by the book.
Mind games are getting uglier
It is ridiculous to see the Australian media paving the way for unnecessary controversy. After the biobubble bursting allegations against the 5 players surfaced, a reputable newspaper on Sunday mentioned the names of other players, including Virat Kohli, and slapped them with unsubstantiated accusations of bubble bursting. The newspaper has pointed the finger at Kohli and Hardik Pandya for visiting a baby store in December and a group of other Indian cricketers out for dinner.
Why was nothing said back then? Cricket Australia did not pose any problems as they were certainly following the bio-bubble protocols. What is the need to mention it now? Is this journalism especially responsible at a time when the world is fighting the pandemic?
Biobubbles can be taxing. Ask the elite athletes about it. Since the resumption of international cricket with the Test series between England and the West Indies, the difficulties of being in a bio-bubble have been discussed and debated. Most of these players from India have been on tour for almost 6 months. However, the way the Indian stars have been handled has been admirable.
Biosecure bubbles, as many players have said, can be very mentally draining. Understandable why #TeamIndia wants to avoid a stricter one in #Brisbane #AUSvIND
– Pragyan Ojha (@pragyanojha) January 3, 2021
At a time when top Australian stars are retiring from their main T20 tournament, citing bio-bubble burns, it’s embarrassing to see how certain Australians have dealt with India’s reported stance in the Brisbane test.
According to a media reportIndia is not interested in entering another strict quarantine period should it be applied to them in Brisbane, which will host the fourth and final test, starting January 15. Visitor concerns arise from the fact that the Queensland government has closed borders with Greater Sydney as New South Wales is increasing social distancing measures in the wake of new cases of locally transmitted viruses.
Reports have suggested there could be restrictions placed on the two teams despite India contending that they wanted to be treated like any other local, having completed a tough 14-day quarantine after arriving in Australia in November.
“Don’t come” tacky comments
However, seeing people in power making unpleasant statements is very unpleasant. On Sunday, Queensland’s shadow Minister of Health Ros Bates said: “If the Indians don’t want to follow the rules, don’t come.”
Queensland Shadow Sports Minister Tim Mander said: “If the Indian cricket team wants to spit the doll out and ignore the quarantine guidelines in Brisbane for the fourth test then they shouldn’t come.”
Well, it is difficult, but once again it is time for India to stop making noise and focus on the task at hand.
“Australians are very good at playing mind games and I’ll let them do it,” Ajinkya Rahane had said before the CGM test.
Well, hopefully Rahane and his men aren’t paying too much attention to all the noise. A great test awaits him in Sydney and India will start on the front foot.
