The tragic and untimely demise of Australian cricketer Phil Hughes has left the cricketing fraternity devastated. The postponement of the India-Australia Test series was one of the many thoughtful decisions taken during this period. The sensitivity of the issue demanded drastic measures. Now, that the series has been rescheduled, players will be expected to play amidst an emotional upheaval which shall last for quite some time.
The series, which was supposed to start from December 4, will now begin at Adelaide on December 9. The new schedule is as follows:
First Test- Adelaide, 9th-13th December
Second Test- Brisbane, 17th-21st December
Third Test- Melbourne, 26th-30th December
Fourth Test- Sydney, 6th-10th January
Weather in Australia
The Australian continent falls under the southern hemisphere. While the Indian sub-continent is facing winter, the southern hemisphere is actually experiencing summer. The current temperatures at the four match locations seem to be promising. Adelaide (26 °C Max & 16 °C Min), Brisbane (31 °C Max & 23 °C Min), Melbourne (23 °C Max-17 °C Min), and Sydney (27 °C Max-21°C Min) are all experiencing a pleasant weather.
Cricket is perhaps the only game which is heavily influenced by weather conditions. The decision at the toss is based on an assessment of existing weather conditions and other similar factors like wind speed/direction & moisture. Bright weather & clear blue skies are always helpful for batsmen. Whereas a gloomy day with a cover of clouds will give an edge to the bowlers.
Coming to cricket per se, the Australian pitches will have a lot of pace & carry. This is only expected, given India’s weakness against pace & bounce. Hence, both teams will look to include more pace bowlers in their line-up. Australia may step out with an all-pace attack while India may consider including a slow bowler. The presence of Umesh Yadav, Mohammed Shami, and Varun Aaron (despite injury woes) will add some much needed arsenal to the Indian pace attack. Meanwhile, the batsmen will have to show lot of patience & technique. Flirting with the ball outside the off-stump will not help and the batsmen will have to learn to leave the ball in order to do well in Australia. Indians may also be tested with ‘short’ stuff, though no faster bowler may use the bouncer at all. The memory of Phil Hughes' death from a bouncer is still fresh and it may act as a deterrent for pace bowlers.
The first Test match begins in Adelaide from December 9, 2014. Weather forecast for the first test is bright & sunny. The conditions are expected to remain dry with moderate winds. These conditions are perfect for playing Test cricket. The rescheduling has also raised doubts about Dhoni's participation in the first Test. Earlier, Dhoni had opted out of the first Test and Virat Kohli was set to lead for the first time in Tests. But now, with Dhoni joining the team three days ahead of the Adelaide Test, his inclusion in the playing XI for the opener is anybody’s guess.
You may also like:
