The last time India toured Australia, the first Test match produced a spellbinding outcome.
On a traditional batting paradise, the Adelaide Oval dished up a pitch covered in green grass.
Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins were at their skilful best, bowling India out for 36.
No one saw it coming.
India rallied to win the series 2-1.
When wickets tumble, it can be mesmerising. They’re just like falling dominos, a rhythmic cascade of clicks and clacks as the tiny tiles perform their choreographed dance. One after another, they tumble. The last fallen tile brings silence.
In Adelaide four years ago, it wasn’t silence but rather a triumphant reminder of why India and other visiting teams find it hard to win on our soil.
For those in the know, a long-held view was clarified.
When India tours Australia, the bounce and movement of the ball – synonymous with Australian conditions – will bring the visitors unstuck.
That reason alone is why India rarely wins Test cricket in our country. Adapting to foreign conditions takes time and effort.
The tables are turned when we visit India.
The dry, spinning conditions in the stadiums of Mumbai, Bangalore, and Calcutta – frankly on most Indian grounds – pave the way for the hosts to have a distinct advantage. And it’s why Australia rarely wins Test cricket in their country.
Last Sunday, New Zealand beat India in a Test match for the first time in 36 years. The catalyst for the victory in Bangalore was a disciplined Kiwi attack that bowled India out for 46 in their first innings.
No teams come from such a disaster. Dominos are hard to stop when the first one is pushed.
On a pitch that had been covered overnight and through the morning, the ball swung and bounced. India edged everything; New Zealand held all their catches.
India will fight back. They always do.
New Zealand were praying the second Test served up a pitch like they got on day one in Bangalore, but that was as likely as Allan Border and Sunny Gavaskar making a comeback.
The Pune wicket had plenty of spin in it, as Indian wickets always do, but it was the visitors who made the most of it.
Kiwi left-arm spinner Mitchell Santner ripped through the Indians, taking 7-53, as the hosts were rolled for 156 tonight after the Kiwis made 259 on day one.
If Australia is organised and smart this summer, it will ensure that visitors see plenty of pace and bounce.
History should remind them that doing India a favour by playing them on flat pitches proves counterproductive, an error and a lesson from the last two series.
Not for a second am I encouraging anything other than great Australian pitches that produce pace, bounce, and entertaining, winning outcomes in this part of the world.
But if Bangalore last week and Adelaide four years ago are anything to go by, pitches that allow the ball to bounce and move will give Australia their best chance of beating India at home for the first time in three campaigns.
Australian curators were too kind the last two times around. The pitches became flat, and India capitalised. It would be unforgivable to make the same mistake again.
Content Source: www.perthnow.com.au