BGT, Aus vs India – India has made its choice and must now make it count
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BGT, Aus vs India – India has made its choice and must now make it count

Posted on by Amelia Pressman

Ravindra Jadeja faces a pretty good landmark as the rain eases in Brisbane. A spinner’s 500th wicket at the Gabba.

The fact that he was out there was a bit of a surprise, though. The decision to bowl first at the Gabba has a certain history. India also has a certain history. You have not chosen to take a test abroad since 2014.

In the first two Tests of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, the reason for India batting first was clear. In Perth, as the pitch collapses as the game progresses, there is uneven bouncing and it becomes difficult to score a run in the final innings. Pakistan finished last in 2023 by 89 shots. In Adelaide, where it is a day-night Test, batting first brings with it the chance to do well and earn a chance to declare at dusk on the second day.

At the Gabba, India managed a hat-trick of successful tosses in the series, bowling first. In this way, the teams here had won five of the last six Tests. The only exception was Australia’s day-night match against the West Indies earlier this year when Shamar Joseph became a household name. The condition of the Gabba pitch is not deteriorating that much. On a day like Saturday, when it was overcast and the pitch had a slight green tinge to it, there was every reason for India to trust their bowlers to get help and perhaps also enough reason to suspect that their batters were having a tough time could have.

India were concerned about their batting power on this tour, the pace and bounce on offer and the need to guard against it. So they started the series with debuts of Harshit Rana and Nitish Kumar Reddy. That meant they had guys through No. 9 capable of scoring a few runs if needed, and two weeks ago they certainly thought it was needed.

Then Reddy came along well and gave India an opportunity to play around a bit more with their bowlers, especially their spinners. Assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate said they picked R Ashwin for the Adelaide Test because he was the better bowler. They weren’t that worried about his batting because they were happy with Reddy’s performance at No. 7.

Bringing in Jadeja for Brisbane could suggest they are thinking about their batting depth again. He is easily the best source of runs from all three of their spinners, and he averages 21.78 with the ball in Australia.

Now that India has made its decision, it must be enforced. In an apparent attempt to correct what happened in the first innings of the pink-ball Test, when Usman Khawaja, Nathan McSweeney and Marnus Labsuchagne were allowed to leave the ball quite easily, India appeared to get a little leg down with the new ball in Brisbane. The first runs took place via four leg-byes and one good leg.

Since that tumultuous first day in Perth, India have not been able to make the most of the new ball and that is a problem. The Kookaburra, while tough and shiny, is responsive off the field. This stops as it gets older and softer.

Shubman Gill said the key to batting here was to survive the first 30 overs. After that, it doesn’t matter how well you bowl, the ball won’t react as much outside the pitch. It will be easier to align it. India allowed Australia to escape to 19 for 0 in 5.3 overs. Then the first rain shower came. There was an opportunity to regroup.

Between overs 6 and 13.2, India gave up just nine runs, stringing together three consecutive maidens in the period. Akash Deep, who was brought in in place of Rana in this game, looked sharp.

The weather is still questionable for tomorrow, but whatever is possible could take place under cloudy skies. India will want to maintain the rhythm they set after the rain break on Saturday. The new ball is crucial, especially for a team that won the toss and chose to bowl.

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