For the sake of discussion, let’s assume the 4th Test during the 2021 BGT did not take place. India remained adamant about their boycott stance and the fourth game was scrapped altogether or perhaps shifted to another venue. The butterfly effect related to that game would have been entirely different today. Training in Brisbane for the third Test game of a 1-1 squared series, India would have been more worried than injuries and controversies made them in the 2021 tour.
But that India breached the Gabbatoir in the most incredible ways means that despite knowing they have plenty to work on, memories from that bittersweet tour would try to show the visitors as much of the positive side as possible.
Interestingly, the first two Test games were eye-openers for both sides, one at a time. In the series opener, Australia were left vulnerable thanks to India’s merciless bowling. The hosts looked similar to a bunch of players who were past their golden days and were living a life of bonus that their good reputation had earned them. The tables were flipped entirely in the second game, with the visitors’ weaknesses now on display for everyone to see.
But hindsight is rarely a fair judge. At least, that should have been noted down by everyone by now. Australia’s defeat does nor mean they are a depleted side neither does India’s loss mean their Test team is kaput. If anything, both results reflect the sides’ tenacity to come back up after taking a fall.
Team Overview:
India’s batting lineup showed vulnerability, especially in the first innings, in the opening Test but the bowling-friendly conditions and the fact that they came from behind with the bat in the next innings, barred that from surfacing as a concern. But they could not get a similar cover in Adelaide where the visiting batters scored 180 and 175 runs in both innings respectively.
In fact, had it not been for Nitish Kumar Reddy’s almost annoying resistance, Rohit Sharma’s men would have been subjected to an innings defeat. If India plan on keeping the series as well as their WTC final chances alive, they need to rethink a strategy where they do not over-rely on their bowlers.
There lingers another question as to where Rohit Sharma will bat this time. He batted at No. 5 to let KL Rahul open with Yashasvi Jaiswal, but neither he nor Rahul made strong cases in the second game for the same order to persist. It is uncertain whether he can find his groove back at the opening position since he has struggled to score big in whites lately regardless of the position he batted at. In the event, Sharma does make a move back to the opening spot, there would be concern surrounding Rahul, whose best bet is to open, having played only eleven games batting at any other position.
Australia are not too fancy with the top-order batting either. Usman Khawaja, Steve Smith, and Marnus Labuschagne have all averaged less than 30 this year in the red-ball format. Add to this the fact that Nathan McSweeney is still trying to wrap his head around the recklessness of International cricket. Travis Head’s vendetta against India continued and saw him score 140 runs before an animated send-off by Mohammad Siraj that saw the pair give up a part of their earning. It would not be a farce to say that his knock was what kept Australia dominating the game, barring, of course, the brilliant bowling with the pink ball. However, the Gabba will neither feature a pink-colored ball nor will it be wise to rely on Head’s rivalry in every game.
The hosts also made a tough call in selecting Josh Hazlewood who is all nice and new to come back to the team, sidelining his stand-in, Scott Boland, who did incredibly well in the second game.
Head-to-Head Matches:
India and Australia have played 109 Test matches against each other. With 46 wins Australia dominate the match-up. While India’s 33 wins are lesser, most of them have come in the recent past. 29 games ended in a draw, while one was tied.
Weather and Pitch Report:
Pat Cummins said the pitch does not have as much green as they are used to seeing but the reports suggest that the surface will favor the bowlers as it always has. There are ominously immense chances for the rain to disrupt the games, with rain forecasts on all days except the second. The extent of damage the rain will inflict upon this Test ranges from the shortening of the day’s play to the surface getting tweaked due to it. Both teams would hope for the forecast to become better over the weekend.
Where to Watch:
India: Star Sports
Australia: Fox Cricket, Kayo Sports, Channel 7 and 7Plus
Pakistan: Tapmad
UK: TNT, Discovery+
New Zealand: Sky NZ
MENA: Cricbuzz
Caribbean: SportsMax
Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan: JioStar
Southern Africa: Super Sports
US: Willow TV
