IND vs AUS: India Should Not Have Played The First Pink Ball Test of The Series in Adelaide – Aakash Chopra
Aakash Chopra feels that team India should have not agreed to play a day-night Test to start the Border-Gavaskar series in Australia as they do not have much experience against pink ball under lights.
Cricketer turned commentator Aakash Chopra feels that the visitors should have not agreed to play a day-night Test to start the Border-Gavaskar series in Australia as they do not have much experience against pink ball under lights.
Notably, India has played just one day-night Test and that too on home soil against Bangladesh. They have won that game by an innings and 46 runs in Kolkata last year. They are currently playing the second Tour match against Australia A in Sydney with the pink ball under lights.
Australia on the other hand is the most successful team when it comes to pink-ball cricket. They have won each of their 5 games under lights. Also, they have played 3 day-night Tests at the Adelaide Oval and won all three clashes against New Zealand in 2015, South Africa in 2016 and England in 2017.
“Adelaide has always been our best chance (to beat Australia) because of the similarities in pitch. But now with this being a pink-ball Test match and the first match of the series, I think it’s slightly titled in favour of Australia because they have played a few pink ball games whereas for our boys its only going to be the second experience.
“Someone like Rahane has had some success in the IPL 2020 but Pujara and Vihari have not played competitive cricket for 8 months. So when you look at the Adelaide Test from all those vantage points, I think things are going to be different and difficult.
“I feel Sydney is our best chance which is going to host the 3rd Test, Adelaide should have been a day Test, we should not have played the first pink-ball Test of the series in Adelaide because that’s one place your handing over the advantage to the opposition,” Chopra said on Sports Today’s YouTube channel.
Virat Kohli Physically in India, Mentally in Australia: Aakash Chopra
Chopra, further said that Adelaide is like ‘home’ for Indian skipper Virat Kohli as he has had a lot of success in both red and white-ball cricket in the past at this venue. Kohli had played 3 Tests at the venue and scored 431 runs averaging 71.83 with 3 hundred. He has also scored two centuries in ODIs, having accumulated 244 runs from 4 matches at 61.
The former Indian cricketer speaking on Virat Kohli’s absence in the last three Tests said that the Indian skipper would be in India physically but mentally he might still be in Australia with the Indian team.
Notably, Virat Kohli will miss the last three Tests of the 4-Match series as he is scheduled to fly back to India to be with his wife Anushka Sharma who is going to give birth to their first child in January. Kohli will play only first Test against Australia, starting from December 17 in Adelaide.
“Adelaide means like home for Virat, every time he has walked out on the field he has scored a century. He’s won a Test match there, won a World Cup game, he’s got fond memories at that venue.
“For Virat Kohli, this Adelaide is going to mean a lot, it’s going to be make or break because he is not going to be there after the match. Physically he will be in India but mentally he might still be in Australia with the Indian team but for all that to happen India must start strongly.
“It is his favourite hunting ground and he will have to score runs, have to lead from the front and ensure that India wins that Test match because if that doesn’t go our way then this whole campaign might just very quickly go pear-shaped,” Chopra said.