India, anxious to recover after the Adelaide setback, return to the venue of one of their great Test triumphs
Brisbane: After the defeat at the Adelaide Oval, the Indian team won’t mind making its way to the Gabba because as soon as they step foot on the ground, pleasant memories of their last trip here when they had become the first side to beat the hosts at the venue since 1988 will come rushing to them.
Wicket-keeper batter ishabh Pant had scored a crucial unbeaten 86 that took India to a 3-wicket win at the Gabba in 2021. (AFP)
The disconcerting bounce at the Gabba never makes things easy for batting, for India were inspired by the young pair of Shubman Gill and Rishabh Pant to an unforgettable win. While they get inspired, the team will also have to recognise the role momentum may play in the third Test which begins on Saturday.
Poor weather around Brisbane has meant that one isn’t quite sure of the state of the pitch but the fresher wicket due to a pre-Christmas start should make the Aussies happy.
“Different times of the year definitely makes it different; it can be a slightly different pitch,” Gabba curator David Sandursk said on Wednesday.
“Pitches later in the season might have a bit more wear and tear while ones early in the season usually are a bit fresher and might have a bit more in them.
“Generally speaking, we still prepare the pitch the exact same way every time to try and get the same good carry, pace and bounce that the Gabba is known for. We are just trying to make a traditional Gabba wicket like we do each year.”
Australia tend to do better on the pre-Christmas fresher wickets, having lost only 7 of 61 Tests in that phase. Post-Christmas the numbers change drastically, with the hosts losing 3 out of 5 Tests, including the ones against India (start date: Jan 15, 2021) and West Indies (Jan 24, 2024).
But Sandursk is clear that this won’t be anything like the wicket that saw South Africa lose inside two days in 2022. He does, however, feel it will be similar to the wicket that was rolled out in the Sheffield Shield match in November.
The opening day of that pink-ball game between Victoria and Queensland saw 15 wickets fall. The wicket then settled and the batters scored some big runs, but the new ball-fresh pitch combination is clearly one that both teams should be wary of.
“The aim is to be similar to that wicket where there was a good balance between bat and ball,” Sandursk said. “Hopefully there is a bit in it for everyone.”
All this talk could mean India will look to strengthen their batting line-up again, but at the same time, Nathan Lyon also enjoys the conditions here. There is another approach, one that Virat Kohli would adopt as captain, and that is to pick another pacer and go for the kill.
It will allow the Indian team to keep attacking for longer periods and take some of the responsibility off Bumrah’s shoulders.
Australia have a selection issue of their own to take care of with Josh Hazlewood having recovered from the side strain that kept him out of the Adelaide Test. Opinions, however, are divided about whether he should push Scott Boland out of the playing XI.
“If someone needs to make (way), they’ll be pretty unlucky,” Australia skipper Pat Cummins had told the media after the Adelaide Test.
Boland had a pretty impressive game but Hazlewood wasn’t bad at Perth himself. Boland’s five wickets in the match were vital but he was expensive and that is perhaps where Hazlewood will give Australia far greater control over the proceedings.
The next few days promise to be exciting in that regard. Will the weather clear up? How much grass will be left on the wicket and how will teams choose to counter it? There are so many variables to consider and taking all of them into account is never easy.
