Delhi: A spectacular win in Perth and now India are all set to face Australia in the second Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Adelaide. The special thing is that this is pink ball test i.e. day-night test. This is the biggest ‘Test’ because the competition is not only with the Australian cricketers who are upset by the defeat in Perth, but also with the conditions and ball of the Test. Therefore the competition is not easy. So what issues will Team India need to focus on the most to win the Test?
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Day-night test and pink ball are the biggest challenges: Both the playing time and the ball used are different compared to Perth. Indian cricketers are behind other teams in experience in both these matters and that is why the biggest test of skill will be here. Red ball is suitable for day test but it becomes difficult to see in flood lights, especially if the ball is bad. The glow in pink ball lasts for a long time, due to which it is easily visible in flood light but changes the mood. BCCI never paid much attention to this.
India’s Pink Ball Test records will have to be forgotten: We have to forget how India has played before in the Pink Ball Test. The record in the 3 day-night Tests played at home was spotless, but in the one Pink Ball Test played in Australia, there was a crushing defeat. This is the same test in which he was out for only 36 runs in an innings.
Therefore, not only our own but also Australia’s amazing record in such tests will have to be forgotten. They have lost only one out of 12 pink ball Tests (by 8 runs against West Indies in Brisbane earlier this year). And see, this will be only the second day-night test in India, outside India. On top of that, out of the 12 Tests played at Adelaide Oval, only 2 Tests have been won.
For this reason, Kapil Dev clearly said, “Australia will be in advantage because they are playing in their backyard. He has played many Tests there, he understands the conditions during the night better.”
Therefore it is important to understand the condition: That’s why India made a program for a 2-day practice match against Prime Minister’s XI in Canberra. In this practice match, we will have to understand the pink ball and improve our batting technique accordingly. The pink ball swings a lot in the light. These matches are on 30 November and 1 December at Manuka Oval in the capital. How important this match has become can be gauged from the fact that Cricket Australia also tried to get their Usman Khawaja, Labuschagne and Smith to play in the match.
Get the team right: Had it been a normal situation, there would have been no question of changing the team that won the Perth Test, but with the arrival of regular captain Rohit Sharma for the series, not only will the team change, the correct batting order will also have to be made. Rohit Sharma will come in place of Devdutt Padikkal. If he becomes the opener, then in-form KL Rahul will have to be removed from the opening. There is news of Shubman Gill not being fit as of now but if he becomes fit then it will become more difficult. The suggestion is that Rahul should either play at number 3 otherwise he should remain an opener and Rohit Sharma should play at number 5/6. The Canberra match will help answer such questions.
Don’t lose focus: Last but not least, do not lose focus on winning and ignore the stray news. A lot is being served in the media to divert the focus. Despite Rohit Sharma taking charge of the team, talk is being raised about keeping Bumrah as the captain. The Australian media, which saw the Australian batsmen not being able to play, has started putting psychological pressure on the same Bumrah by expressing doubt on his actions. In fact, we should take advantage of the boost to Australia’s confidence in Perth and use this mental edge in Adelaide. Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood have not won a series against India in a decade and Adelaide could be their last chance to try.