Ravindra Jadeja is on the brink of a significant milestone as he aims for his 500th wicket at the Gabba, pending the clearing of rain in Brisbane. His presence in the match came as a bit of a surprise given the historical context of choosing to bowl first at this venue.
Notably, India hasn’t opted to bowl first in an overseas Test since 2014. In the initial two Tests of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, India’s decision to bat first was justifiable. In Perth, the pitch tended to deteriorate over time, leading to uneven bounce and making scoring difficult in the final innings, evidenced by Pakistan being bowled out for just 89 while batting last in 2023.
Adelaide’s day-night Test also favored batting first for a chance to declare under twilight conditions on day two. India successfully won the toss for the third time in a row during the series and decided to bowl first at the Gabba, in line with the trend of teams winning five out of the last six Tests there.
The only exception was a day-night match earlier this year, where Shamar Joseph made a name for himself. Typically, the Gabba pitch does not degrade significantly, and with overcast skies and a slightly green surface, it made sense for India to rely on their bowlers and have some reservations about their batters’ performance.
Throughout the tour, India had been worried about their batting due to the pace and bounce present, prompting them to give debuts to Harshit Rana and Nitish Kumar Reddy. This move provided them with deeper batting options down to No. 9, which they believed was necessary given their previous struggles.
Reddy’s recent good form allowed India more flexibility with their bowlers, especially their spinners. Assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate stated that R Ashwin was selected for the Adelaide Test based on his bowling prowess, as they felt secure with Reddy’s contributions at No. 7.
The inclusion of Jadeja for the Brisbane Test indicates a renewed focus on batting depth since he is the most reliable run-scorer among the spinners, boasting an average of 21.78 with the ball in Australia.
Now that India has made this strategic choice, it’s crucial they stick to it. After a disappointing first innings in the pink-ball Test, where they allowed Usman Khawaja, Nathan McSweeney, and Marnus Labuschagne to leave the ball with ease, India’s bowlers drifted down the leg side with the new ball in Brisbane, yielding initial runs from leg-byes.
Since the chaotic first day in Perth, India has struggled to capitalize on the new ball, which poses a challenge. The Kookaburra ball, while hard and shiny, behaves differently based on its age and condition; it tends to lose its effectiveness once it becomes softer.
Shubman Gill emphasized that the key to batting in Brisbane is to endure the first 30 overs. After that point, the ball’s behavior on the pitch stabilizes, making it easier to face bowlers. India allowed Australia to reach 19 for 0 in just over five overs before the rain interruption presented them with a chance to regroup.
During the period between overs 6 and 13.2, India conceded only nine runs and achieved three consecutive maidens. Akash Deep, who was selected over Rana for this match, showed promise. While the weather remains uncertain for the following day, any play that does occur will likely be under overcast skies. India will aim to maintain the rhythm they established after the rain delay on Saturday, as the new ball is crucial for a team that has won the toss and opted to bowl.
