Indian cricket legend Sunil Gavaskar, who is working as a commentator in the Perth Test between India and Australia, lost his cool in the commentary box on Sunday. Gavaskar spotted the word ‘Bharat Army’ written on Indian flags during the Day 3 of the Perth Test and the sight left him fuming. The batting great decided to remind everyone that any sort of writing on the Indian flag is against the rules. Gavaskar even said that the fans doing so, “aren’t really Indians”.

“I know that in India it’s not accepted. I don’t think these [fans] are really Indians. I’m not too sure how many of them have Indian passports, so they probably don’t understand the value, the relevance, the importance of the Indian flag,” Gavaskar said while doing commentary on ABC Sport.

Sunil Gavaskar said, “I would request the Bharat Army not to have their group’s name on the India flag. Design a new flag of your own. If you design a new flag of your own, I will myself wear it with great pleasure”. (ABC Sport). pic.twitter.com/slmpMFcp5u

— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) November 23, 2024

According to Section 2 of the Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act, 1971, there “shall be no lettering upon the national flag” of India.

The rule further states that: “The national flag shall not be used as a portion of costume or uniform or accessory of any description which is worn below the waist of any person nor shall it be embroidered or printed on cushions, handkerchiefs, napkins, undergarments or any dress material.”

Gavaskar went on a fiery rant in the commentary box, saying the ‘Bharat Army’ people should remove the lettering from the flags. For the next time, they were asked to create their own flags and avoid repeating this mistake.

“All Indians, including me, are very grateful for the support that they bring to the Indian cricket team wherever the Indian cricket team is playing. We are really, really thankful and grateful for that, but I would request them not to have their group’s name on the India flag,” he added.

“Design a new flag of your own. If you design a new flag of your own, I will myself wear it with great pleasure,” said Gavaskar.

Just before the start of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy Test series between India and Australia, a new and unprecedented problem came to the forefront – the threat of rain. As per reports, Perth, an area that generally does not receive any rainfall between November and May, was predicted to receive rainfall right on the week of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. The threat of rain even brought the possibility of ‘snake cracks’ forming on the pitch at the Optus Stadium, where the first Test will be held. But recent weather forecasts show that rain is unlikely to hamper the first Test.

As per AccuWeather, rain is a possibility on only Day 1, with the percentage being as low as just one percent. However, there is a 40 percent chance of precipitation on November 21, the day before the first Test gets underway. Even thunderstorms are a possibility.

It barely rains in Perth from November-mid May.

Amazingly there will be wet weather this week, but it is forecast to clear in time for the first Test #AUSvIND pic.twitter.com/2W0Sxzsn1z

— Tristan Lavalette (@trislavalette) November 18, 2024

The rest of the Test match is expected to be completely unaffected by rain. While conditions are expected to be pleasant and breezy on Day 2 and Day 3, it is forecast to get sunny and warm on Day 4 and Day 5.

Meanwhile, the pitch at the Optus Stadium in Perth has been reported to be quite green, meaning it could provide additional impetus to fast bowlers.

India are reportedly set to enter the game with three pure fast bowlers, along with handing a Test debut to pace-bowling all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy. Only one frontline spinner is expected to play, with reports suggesting that Ravichandran Ashwin will be given the nod ahead of the first Test.

Captain Jasprit Bumrah will lead the pace attack alongside Mohammed Siraj, while reports suggest that it is a toss-up between Prasidh Krishna and Harshit Rana for the third seamer role.

On the other hand, Australia’s batting will face an adjustment of its own. 25-year-old Nathan McSweeney will debut as an opener, while Steve Smith will return to the No. 4 slot.

Australia’s captain Pat Cummins speaks during a press conference at the Optus Stadium in Perth on November 21, 2024, ahead of the first cricket Test between Australia and India.
| Photo Credit: AFP

There is a quiet confidence innate to Pat Cummins. Striding into the press conference hall wearing his worn-out baggy green cap at the Optus Stadium here on Thursday (November 21, 2024), the Australian skipper hoped that his men would wrest back the elusive Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

There were also moments when the brotherhood of fast bowlers was on view as he praised his counterpart, Jasprit Bumrah. Ahead of the first Test against India here on Friday (November 21, 2024), Cummins extensively spoke to the media.

Excerpts from the press conference:

The trophy that matters

“For about half in the change room, we haven’t won the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, so it’s one of the last things to tick off. With every challenge that was thrown at us over the last few years, we have stepped up and done well. We know India is right up there with one of the best teams in the world, so we are excited.”

Fast bowling captains

“Yeah, it is great to see and should happen more. In the New Zealand series last year, it was good with Tim Southee as captain. I don’t think it really changes too much again, but it’s one of those rare things. So, yeah, looking forward to seeing how he (Bumrah) goes about his work out there. As a fan of fast bowling, it’s always good to see.”

A rather new-look Indian team

“We make plans for a whole squad. India has got a lot of depth. Most of us have played the IPL and seen how newcomers step up straight away. They are missing a couple of guys we are more familiar with, but we know whoever they pick is going to be good enough for Test cricket.”

Cummins, however, had some kind words about young all-rounder Nitish Reddy. The two turned out for IPL franchise Sunrisers Hyderabad for which Cummins was the skipper. “Loved playing alongside Nitish. He is a great young guy starting out in his professional career. I am impressed with how he went about his work. He can swing the ball a little bit,” the Australian captain said.

The Indian Premier League’s auction at Jeddah in Saudi Arabia on November 24 and 25, drew some attention at the stadium. Asked if the auction could be a distraction during the first test, Cummins said: “I don’t think so. Most of the guys have been in auctions before. The reality is you can’t really do anything.”

Surface-tension

“The pitch looks good with an even coverage of grass. You know, it always looks really good here.”

The Indian cricket team gears up for the start of the 5-match Test series against Australia, with the first match taking place in Perth, starting Friday. India captain Rohit Sharma is confirmed to not be part of the playing XI, having not reached Australia yet, with vice-captain Jasprit Bumrah taking up his role as the skipper for the match. Though Bumrah refused to delve into any details with regards to playing XI selection, India’s practice simulations and media reports do suggest what sort of XI the tourists are likely to go with.

The two opening spots are likely to be occupied by KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal, with the wicket-keeper batter being promoted to open the batting in the absence of skipper Rohit. Shubman Gill, India’s designated No. 3 batter, is also missing due to an injury. His likely replacement will be Devdutt Padikkal, who impressed many with his performances in the build-up to the series opener.

All eyes will be on Virat Kohli at No. 4 as he looks to overcome the rough patch that saw him fail to aggregate even 100 runs in the series against New Zealand. Dhruv Jurel is expected to make the cut in place of Sarfaraz Khan, courtesy of the former’s excellent show in the unofficial Test assignment against Australia A. He will be followed by Rishabh Pant in the batting order.

Nitish Kumar Reddy is expected to make his Test debut, batting at the No. 6 spot, followed by India’s sole spinner for the match, Ravichandran Ashwin. Usually, when it comes to overseas assignments, Ravindra Jadeja has been preferred as the sole spinner by the Indian team. However, Ashwin is expected to make the cut this time.

Jasprit Bumrah, the skipper for the match, will lead the pace trio for the Indian team, with the duo of Mohammed Siraj and Akash Deep likely to make the cut in the XI.

India’s likely XI vs Australia, 1st Test: Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Devdutt Padikkal, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant (wk), Dhruv Jurel, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Ravichandran Ashwin, Jasprit Bumrah (c), Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep.

Travis Head has shared his views on the pitch at the Optus Stadium in Perth.© X (Twitter)

The Optus Stadium at Perth, the venue of the highly-anticipated first Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy between India and Australia, has become a subject of intrigue ahead of the clash. With both teams boasting world-class pace and spin options, both teams are finalising their team combinations as per conditions. With their ICC World Test Championship (WTC) final spots at stake amid tough competition from Sri Lanka, South Africa and New Zealand, both sides would be aiming to make the best use of Perth’s usual fast and bouncy surface. The venue is a pace-dominated venue, with Australian pacers outdoing the visiting pace attacks with their average of 22.04 as compared to 36.53 of visiting pacers. Coming to spinners, the Aussie tweakers have an average of 18.61 as compared to a poor average of 108.50 by visiting spinners.

Even though the surface is friendly to pace and offers bounce, there is a threat of Nathan Lyon dominating at the venue. Since the 2018-19 season, Lyon has taken 27 wickets here at an average of 18.00 in four matches, with best figures of 6/128.

Lyon has delivered 187.3 of the 217.2 overs by Aussie spinners here. However, very few visiting teams have played a specialist spinner here. Mitchell Santner, Salman Ali Agha and Roston Chase, with being three names.

Isaac McDonald, who is overseeing the preparations for the third Test strip, is expecting quicks to enjoy “good pace and bounce” in the Border Gavaskar Trophy series opener between India and Australia.

However, the weather forecast has been something to keep an eye on after several weather reports suggested unseasonal rain. In the past couple of days, there has been some rain in Perth, leading to the non-traditional preparation for the series opener.

“Yeah, it is definitely not traditional Perth Test prep weather at all. Yesterday, we pretty much lost the whole day of prep, with it being under the cover. So we kind of saw the forecast early on, and we started to prep a little bit earlier than we normally would,” McDonald told reporters ahead of the first Test on Friday.

“So we were sitting quite comfortably. Still, it would be nice if the sun would pop out and do its job. But as of this morning, we are in a good spot. We are really comfortable as a curating team,” he added.

With a slight chance of weather impacting the time of play, the pitch could be affected if the rain worsens. Under such circumstances, the 27-year-old is not expecting the pitch to fall apart but only deteriorate as the game progresses.

“I do not think this weather is going to make this pitch fall apart as there will be some deterioration. Grass will stand up during the game and offer that variable bounce. I think there would still be good pace and bounce on the pitch. It’ll just come in. How well they look after the ball and how true the surface stays,” McDonald noted.

WACA head curator Isaac McDonald on Wednesday said the unusual rain in Perth has impacted the pitch preparation for the first Test of Border-Gavaskar Trophy and though he doesn’t expect the surface to develop “snake cracks”, there will still be plenty of bounce and carry. The surface at the Optus Stadium or at the nearby WACA ground is known for its pace and bounce and when the cracks open up in dry conditions, it provides more assistance to the seamers besides bringing the spinners into play.

The city has witnessed rain over the past few days and the pitch was covered for the whole day on Tuesday, cutting down preparation time for the curator.

“Yeah, it’s definitely not traditional Perth Test prep. Yesterday we pretty much lost the whole day of prep with it being under cover. So we kind of saw the forecast early on and we started prep a little bit earlier than we normally would.

“So we’re sitting quite comfortable still. It’d be nice if the sun would pop out and do its job but as of this morning we’re in a good spot, we’re really comfortable as a curating team,” McDonald told media ahead of the series opener beginning on Friday.

The pitch is likely to retain moisture come match day, effectively ruling out the possibility of major deterioration over the course of five days.

“I don’t think the weather is going to make this pitch fall apart. There’ll be some deterioration, grass will stand up during the game and offer that variable bounce but in terms of big snake WACA cracks, unfortunately I don’t think the weather is going to get us there,” said the head curator.

The forecast is clear for Friday as well as the remaining four days but the temperatures are unlikely to increase drastically. McDonald wants the sun to emerge from the clouds at the earliest so that the surface can behave close to its traditional nature.

“I mean everyone talks about the traditional baking of the top. We can kind of manufacture that with more rolling and less water on top if we have to. We’re testing the wicket hour by hour so it’s quite conditions based at the moment.

“So at the moment we’re leaning towards rolling it a bit more on top to get that firmness and that happy medium between bat and ball. But yeah, fingers crossed the sun pops out,” he said.

Pakistan recently bundled out Australia for 140 in an ODI at the Optus Stadium here. The grass cover was expectedly less for a limited overs game, 4mm to be exact. It will be at least double for the India-Australia Test opener.

How much grass will we get to see before toss? “We’ve still got to try and get to a point where we think we’re going to be fine by Friday. We’re still in around the ballpark, 8 to 10 mm, was where we were last year as well.

“So we’re sitting quite comfortable and having quite open conversations within the curating team of what we feel is appropriate and where to go from there. There’s still be really good pace and bounce in the pitch.

“It’ll just come in how well they look after the ball and how true the surface stays. We’re meant to get to 30-32 degrees over the weekend so we’ll see what the grass on top does there but in terms of coming off cracks I just don’t think we’re going to get there,” felt McDonald.

Perth is hosting the opening game of a marquee series and that is bound to put some pressure on the groundstaff. However, McDonald is not feeling the heat.

“I don’t think it’s pressure, it doesn’t change what I do. I’ve still got to deliver the best playing surface I can. So in terms of pressure, I don’t know if we’re, another word for pressure, I suppose, you know. It’s nice to be the first test. It’s the excitement around it is nice. The buzz is nice. The energy in our team is great. And it’s something that we all look forward to every year.” He chose to stay on the fence when asked what he would do if he wins the toss on Friday.

“It’s way above my pay grade mate. I think we’re setting ourselves up really nicely for it. All things are leading to getting that pitch rock hard come Friday morning and as I said people above my pay grade will get to choose and see what they do,” McDonald added.