Situations and tragedies have made the first Test a more than just a contest between willow and leather, rather a battle of emotions and aggression on the field, as Australia and India are set to lock horns in the series opener at Adelaide Oval.
Where to Watch 1st Test Live Scores
The Australia vs India 1st Test is scheduled for a 05:30pm IST (10:30 local | 00:00 GMT) start at Adelaide Oval. The live score updates of the match will be available HERE, HERE & HERE. Catch the live streaming of Australia vs India, Day 1 HERE & HERE.
The first will mark the debut of Virat Kohli as Team India’s Test skipper as regular skipper MS Dhoni, despite been with the team, is not fully fit to play the Adelaide Test. Dhoni is nursing a thumb injury and is deemed unfit to keep wickets, but he is line to play the second match in Brisbane.
“MS coming in is always a help for the younger guys in the team. His inputs are ever so important for the team,” Virat said. “Just discussing things with him and taking a few tips on what we are thinking of doing and how we want to go about it is very helpful.”
“He has been there, done that, has seen possibly every situation in cricket,” he added. “It’s always great to bounce things off him, get the feedback and utilize what you can.”
Team India has tasted quite a bit of success in Kohli’s captaincy lately, with a whitewash over Sri Lanka at home. Under Kohli’s captaincy India has developed a culture of ruthlessness and they would need it a lot in the first Test, as it could decide the course of this four-match series.
Ruthlessness, however, will not help Team India, if they are to commence the series on a winning note. They need to play as a team and remain ready to get some blows, if required, unlike England series, when they surrendered rather tamely.
“I want all the players to think about how they can make the team win, rather than worry about their individual performances,” the stand-in skipper said. “That’s one area where I personally thought we could improve on.”
“Sometimes, we get too caught up with our own technique and game rather than paying attention to the team plans,” he added. “These look like very small things but in a team they are big factors.”
Team India has more or less the same attack, which played against England with Bhuvneshwar Kumar the only doubtful for the first Test. Ishant Sharma, who was instrumental in India’s Lord’s win, will lead the attack, while Varun Aaron and Umesh Yadav could be other two seamers.
“This is one of the best bowling attacks we have had in Test cricket for a while now with guys who bowl quick, are fit, ready to go and most importantly, are bowling well,” Kohli said. “It feels good as a captain.”
“(Whether we go in with five bowlers or four) is a decision we will take after seeing what serves us best,” he added. “We have to believe that whatever combinations we go in with, we are going to get positive results out of it.”
Indian batsmen played quite well in a couple of warm-up matches against Cricket Australia XI, but playing the likes of Mitchell Johnson, Ryan Harris and Peter Siddle will be a different ball-game altogether for the visitors.
Johnson, in particular, will be troubling the touring party with his fierce pace and bounce, and Indians. “We’re not giving it too much importance,” Kohli pointed out. “There’s nothing very special about a particular individual or a few individuals.”
Squads: Australia: Chris Rogers, David Warner, Shane Watson, Michael Clarke (c), Steve Smith, Mitchell Marsh, Brad Haddin (wk), Mitchell Johnson, Peter Siddle, Ryan Harris and Nathan Lyon. Josh Hazlewood (12th), Phillip Hughes (13th).
India (probable): Shikhar Dhawan, Murali Vijay, Virat Kohli (c), Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Suresh Raina, Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ishant Sharma, Varun Aaron and Umesh Yadav.
