Combination image of Indian cricketers Jasprit Bumrah and Yashasvi Jaiswal at a net session ahead of the second Test between India and Australia in Adelaide, on December 4, 2024
| Photo Credit: X/@BCCI

Blazing sunshine and dry heat prevailed for a large part of Thursday (December 5, 2024) before the clouds made a fleeting appearance over the Adelaide Oval. The air was still and through the public-address system, the national anthems of India and Australia were played as part of the preparations for the day-and-night second Test that will commence here on Friday (December 5, 2024) afternoon.

There is a forecast for the odd thunder-shower on the opening day, a disruption that may not have a major effect. India leads 1-0 in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series, an advantage that Rohit Sharma’s men want to build upon at a venue which offers mixed signals from the past.

Sunil Gavaskar, Sandeep Patil, Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Virender Sehwag, Ajit Agarkar and Virat Kohli, have been heroes in Adelaide at varying points. Hundreds, wickets and triumphs in the 2003 and 2018 games add to the halo before the 36 registered in the 2020 pink-ball Test offers a grim reality check.

In the lead-up to the latest contest, there have been exhaustive discussions about how the pink ball would move under lights and the tricky phase of dealing with twilight. India has won three of its four day-and-night Tests and all those triumphs were scripted in home conditions. Having lost the lone overseas encounter here in 2020, the visitors get a chance to make amends.

It helps that a full-strength playing eleven is on the cards with Rohit and Shubman Gill slotting themselves back. The former also put to rest all the speculation over his batting position by clearly stating that K.L. Rahul will open along with Yashasvi Jaiswal. The Indian captain said that the duo played well atop the order at Perth and in the team’s interest it is better he himself plays in the middle order.

Whether India steps in without R. Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja, like it did at Perth, remains to be seen. Kohli’s unbeaten 100 in the first Test, the manner in which Jasprit Bumrah has occupied head-space among all Aussie batters, and the performance of the two debutants Harshit Rana and Nitish Kumar, are all handy psychological brownie points.

Meanwhile, Australia at home tends to be dominant even if India has punctured this perception through series victories over the previous two tours. Pat Cummins and his men are keen to win and the Australian skipper said: “We had a long break after the first Test and now this second Test seems like a first Test for us.”

The 295-run loss at Perth did amplify the external critical voices Down Under, but the host would rather not read too much into these inputs. The worries, though, remain as middle-order bulwarks Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne are searching for runs.

Among the bowlers, Scott Boland, who will replace injured Josh Hazlewood, has the requisite skills as Australia continues to have a potent seam attack while off-spinner Nathan Lyon would chip in too. With the River Torrens flowing nearby, both rivals would hope to cause some ripples at this lovely ground.

The teams (from).

India: Rohit Sharma (captain), Jasprit Bumrah (vice-captain), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal, Shubman Gill, K.L. Rahul, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Sarfaraz Khan, Rishabh Pant (wicket-keeper), Dhruv Jurel (wicket-keeper), R. Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep, Prasidh Krishna and Harshit Rana.

Australia: Pat Cummins (captain), Usman Khwaja, Travis Head, Steve Smith, Marnus Labuschagne, Josh Inglis (wicket-keeper), Alex Carey (wicket-keeper), Mitchell Marsh, Nathan McSweeney, Mitchell Starc, Scott Boland, Nathan Lyon, Beau Webster, Sean Abbott and Brendan Dogget.

Match officials: Umpires: Richard Illingworth and Chris Gaffaney; Third umpire: Richard Kettleborough; Match referee: Ranjan Madugalle.

Match starts at 9.30 a.m. IST.

File picture of Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in a group picture with India squad after rain delays the two-day warm-up match between Prime Ministers XI and India, at Manuka Oval in Canberra
| Photo Credit: ANI

After taking part in the two-day warm-up match against Prime Minister’s XI, Rohit Sharma-led Team India on Monday (December 2, 2024) departed from Canberra for the Adelaide Test, which will be starting from December 6.

Earlier on Sunday (December 1, 20245) in the warm-up match, a four-wicket haul by pacer Harshit Rana, along with commanding knocks from Shubman Gill, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Yashasvi Jaiswal, helped India secure a five-wicket win against Australia’s Prime Ministers’ XI at Canberra’s Manuka Oval.

While leaving, skipper Rohit and star India pacer Mohammed Siraj were seen taking selfies with the fans who were waiting outside the team hotel in Canberra. Top batter Shubman Gill and assistant coach Abhishek Nayar were also captured leaving the team hotel for Adelaide along with other players.

ALSO READ: How Australia has embraced and dominated the sub-genre of Test cricket under lights

In the first Test match of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, India staged a stunning comeback from a series whitewash against New Zealand at home, defeating Australia by 295 runs in Perth despite being bowled out for a mere 150 runs in their first innings.

Siraj credits Bumrah for turnaround after difficult home season

Back in form with five wickets in India’s brilliant come-from-behind win in the Perth Test against Australia, Mohammed Siraj has credited his senior pace colleague and attack spearhead Jasprit Bumrah for helping him turn things around after an ordinary home series against New Zealand.

The 30-year-old endured a difficult home season, managing just two wickets in two Tests during India’s disastrous 0-3 loss to New Zealand prior to the tour Down Under, but returned to his best in the opening Test against Australia.

Siraj said it was a chat with stand-in skipper and No.1 ranked Test bowler Bumrah prior to the tour that helped him make a comeback in the series-opener in Perth where India recovered from a first innings collapse to 150 for a massive 295-run triumph.

“I always keep talking to Jassi bhai (Bumrah),” Siraj said after the India’s six-wicket win over Australian Prime Minister’s XI in a practice match here on Sunday.

“Even before the first match, I spoke with him about what I was going through. And he just told me one thing — don’t run (chase) after wickets, just keep bowling consistently in one area and enjoy your bowling. If you still don’t get wickets, then you come ask me.

“So I enjoyed my bowling and I got wickets as well,” he added.

(With inputs from PTI, ANI)