India’s Virat Kohli (L) joins his teammates during a practice session. File
| Photo Credit: AFP
In these days of two-Test series and instant noodles, a long drawn contest spread over seven weeks can be draining. India last played five Tests in Australia during the summer of 1991-92.
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It was a series that reiterated the rise of Sachin Tendulkar; the twilight of Dilip Vengsarkar; the resilience of Ravi Shastri; the promise of Javagal Srinath; the second wind of Kapil Dev; the magic of Mohammad Azharuddin at Adelaide, which inspired a headline writer to dish out ‘Ah-Czar!’; the forgettable debut of Shane Warne, and yet it was Australia that prevailed at 4-0.
Tendulkar’s stunning 114 at Perth’s WACA is still considered one of his finest tons; and that too when lads of his age would be worrying about acne and curious about after-shave lotions. Still, that series was a constant tango with defeat, the kind that tires the spirit, even if the philosophical ruminations about it just being a sport offer a crutch.
Cut to the present, it is not so traumatic for India as after two Tests, the 1-1 stalemate in the current Border-Gavaskar Trophy series, hints at a duel between equal rivals. Over the last decade, India has performed reasonably well past the seas, made evident by the triumphs Down Under in the 2018-19 and 2020-21 sojourns, while South Africa remains a doughty landscape to conquer.
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India’s latest defeat here at the Adelaide Oval early on Sunday afternoon, can either be a spur that goads Rohit Sharma’s men to launch a counter attack right from the third Test at Brisbane, or it could embolden the Aussies to wing back into contention. Having rested on Monday, the Indians were back to training on Tuesday morning, a day, which would have been the climax of the second Test but for the inept batting dished out by the visitors.
Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rishabh Pant, K.L. Rahul, Shubman Gill, Rohit, Virat Kohli and Washington Sundar had long stints with the bat against a medley of throwdowns, pace and spin. Even as spearhead Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj focussed on their gym sessions, the other bowlers were busy at work. Importantly, the red ball was back in vogue while the recent failed tryst with pink was cast aside.
“There are no scars as such,” Rohit had recently said and he gets Brisbane to prove that later this week. The nets were all about settling down, strengthening defensive shots and launching the odd attack, the last being a trait that Jaiswal indulged in even though he was left stranded once while giving the charge to R. Ashwin, and the off-spinner laughed.
Kohli, all sweat and rippling muscles, had a long chat with coach Gautam Gambhir while chief selector Ajit Agarkar and bowling coach Morne Morkel exchanged notes. Soon it was time to walk back to their hotel rooms and unwind. Workload management is critical in an extended tour and surely India has come a long way since that 1991-92 visit. The next few weeks should offer a hint.
Published – December 10, 2024 01:12 pm IST
