The Australian cricket team may be down 0-1 in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, but that does not mean that captain Pat Cummins or head coach Andrew McDonald will make any hasty decisions. They know how important the Adelaide Test is but also realise that making too many changes won’t improve their chances of winning. So, in the Pink Ball Test, they’ll make only one change, and that will be a forceful one. Josh Hazlewood, who was their best bowler in Perth, has suffered a side strain and won’t feature in the 2nd game of the series.
Batting woes, but no droppings
None of Australia’s batters, barring Alex Carey, averages over 30 in 2024. But that doesn’t mean any one of them will get dropped. Usman Khawaja has been one of the best openers in Test cricket over the last couple of years and can be backed to come good. Nathan McSweeney, who isn’t a top-order batter in domestic cricket, can’t be dropped for being unable to play Jasprit Bumrah. He isn’t the first and won’t be the last batter to be troubled by Bumrah and can’t be judged after one game, that too his debut one.
Marnus Labuschagne is in woeful form, but they don’t have someone of his capabilities. He surely can’t bat worse than what he did in Perth (5 runs in 57 balls across 2 innings). Steve Smith might be Australia’s greatest batter after Don Bradman. He recently switched back from opening to number 4 and might need a little while to readjust. He has said he’s ‘found his hands,’ and no one will be shocked if he gets better and better as the series continues.
The middle-order was one of the things that looked good in the India vs Australia 1st Test. Mitchell Marsh, Travis Head, and Carey will take the aggressive approach. Marsh was uncertain for the game, but he’s since confirmed he’s fit. Beau Webster will have to therefore wait for his debut.
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Scott Boland gets a chance
The single change will come in the bowling lineup. Scott Boland will replace Hazlewood. He’s a good like-for-like replacement and can bowl long and relentless spells. He’s already played 10 matches for Australia, 2 of which have been Pink Ball Tests. Boland even had some practice as he featured for the Prime Minister’s XI at the Manuka Oval. Of all the bowlers, he seemed to be in control the most but couldn’t get a wicket in the 92-over match.
Cummins looked out of rhythm in Perth. Not playing a red-ball match in 8 months does that to you. But once he has, expect him to be back to his best soon. He also doesn’t have Hazlewood’s services anymore and needs to step up. In contrast, Mitchell Starc looked much better at the Optus Stadium.
The left-arm pacer moved the ball around and had good control. Starc should be a handful to face with the pink ball, especially under the lights. Nathan Lyon will come into the game in the afternoon. The pink ball is known to help seamers in the evening and night, but before that, it doesn’t move much. Lyon would likely play the holding role, remaining tight and forcing the batters to make mistakes.
Predicted Australia XI vs India for 2nd Test
Usman Khawaja, Nathan McSweeney, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Travis Head, Mitchell Marsh, Alex Carey (wk), Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins (c), Nathan Lyon, Scott Boland (in place of Josh Hazlewood)
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