Two countries that competed for cricket’s greatest trophy four days ago will be back on the field to play some more. Agreed, it’s in a different cricket format in an entirely different setting on the East Coast of India. Agreed, it’s a largely different set of players, with only nine here out of the 30 who were at the World Cup final. Agreed, it’s a different broadcaster who will be bringing the pictures live. But, in the end, the same set of eyes will tune in to watch. There’s never enough cricket. Not in this part of the world.
That they hold their cricket dear is evident when you step inside the venue for the first T20I between the sides in Visakhapatnam. Standing by the Colonel CK Nayudu statue, there’s a pylon commemorating the first Test match this ground hosted in 2016. Step inside the administrative building and there’s an Honours Board not just for the best performers but also for every match that the venue hosts. Talk to the people rushing around in last-minute preparations and they can’t stop gloating about how India vs Australia on Thursday is a “sell-out”.
Last weekend, thousands of offline tickets went up for sale and flew off the shelves in minutes according to local reports. Yes, sometimes it can feel like there’s too much cricket but the vastness of India accommodates it with aplomb and asks for more of it. For instance, Visakhapatnam is one of the 53 international grounds in India and it’s more than happy to see some cricket after missing out on hosting the World Cup. Hyderabad, perhaps a more well-known cricket destination and one of the ten World Cup venues, didn’t host an India game. Eden Gardens hasn’t hosted Australia in a Test since the epic match in 2001. And Mumbai, arguably the home of Indian cricket, has witnessed only two Tests in a decade.
That’s the kind of appetite India’s infrastructure has for cricket. And we haven’t even spoken about the fans yet, 1.25 million of whom scanned their tickets at the turnstiles to watch World Cup games. The 2023 edition, in a nutshell, was the most attended and most viewed ever. Like ICC Chair Greg Barclay put it, this was the “biggest Cricket World Cup ever.” But look around Dr. Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium and you’d be forgiven for thinking that the World Cup is still on.
Here in Visakhapatnam, it doesn’t matter that a World Cup final was played four nights ago. It doesn’t matter that a World Cup final was lost by India four nights ago. It doesn’t matter that the visiting Indian side doesn’t have a Virat Kohli or a Rohit Sharma. What seems to matter is there’s cricket in town after the silence of the World Cup and it’s perhaps time to make up for it.
When: India vs Australia, 1st T20I on November 22, 2023 at 7:00 pm
Where: Dr. Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium, Visakhapatnam
What to expect: Some more cricket. The outfield at this venue catches your eye – it’s firm and lush and green. And the straight boundaries are longer than the ones on the square.
The pitch, on the eve of the match, bore a familiar straw-coloured look that’s associated with good batting conditions at the venue. The last T20I here was in June 2022, when India posted 179/5 before Yuzvendra Chahal and Harshal Patel shared seven wickets to bowl the opposition out for 131. That of course was a very different time of the year; better batting conditions are expected this time around. That said, it’s been raining in the leadup and the weather is set to be overcast on the day of the game.
Team News
India
There’s plenty for India to unpack here. Ahead of the T20 World Cup in June next year, they have five T20Is in this series to go with three against South Africa (away) and three against Afghanistan (home). But what they have at their disposal is a squad missing a lot of first-choice players. Shubman Gill, Shreyas Iyer (unavailable for first three T20Is), Hardik Pandya (regular T20I captain of late), Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav and Mohammed Siraj aren’t here with the team in Vizag but are likely to make the cut in the World Cup squad of 15.
Which brings us to the squad that’s here and what roles the team management assigns them. Jitesh Sharma is the only designated keeper in the squad released by the BCCI but stand-in skipper Suryakumar said that both Ishan and Jitesh Sharma are in line to take the gloves. However, if Ishan plays as a pure batter, there will be room for only one of Rinku Singh and Tilak Varma in the middle-order.
As far as the opening combination is concerned, vice-captain Ruturaj Gaikwad is likely to slot at the top but who out of Ishan and Yashasvi Jaiswal will partner him is anybody’s guess. Axar Patel the all-rounder is likely to be picked ahead of Washington Sundar.
Probable XI: Ruturaj Gaikwad, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ishan Kishan (wk), Suryakumar Yadav (C), Tilak Varma, Rinku Singh, Axar Patel, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna, Avesh Khan
Australia
“Miracle.” That’s what Mitchell Marsh thinks it will be if Travis Head, fresh from a great ODI innings in the World Cup final, plays in this first T20I. Matthew Wade, who’s captaining Australia in this series, said the team management will see how Head pulls up in the training and that there “won’t be any pressure from us on him to play the first one.. but he’ll definitely feature throughout the series.”
With Wade an option to take the gloves, Inglis can get some much needed rest but questions remain over the availability of Steve Smith, Glenn Maxwell, Adam Zampa and Marcus Stoinis, all of whom were a crucial part of the World Cup-winning squad. Sean Abbott, played only one World Cup game and should ideally be fresh enough to take the field.
Probable XI: Matthew Short, Travis Head, Steve Smith, Matthew Wade (c, wk), Marcus Stoinis, Tim David, Glenn Maxwell/Aaron Hardie, Sean Abbott, Nathan Ellis, Adam Zampa/Tanveer Sangha, Jason Behrendorff
Did you know?
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The last time India and Australia met in Vizag, which was in an ODI earlier this year, Mitchell Starc took a five-wicket haul in a match-winning performance
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India have lost three of the last five completed T20Is against Australia at home but the only two wins came in the most recent matches
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This is the first time Suryakumar Yadav is captaining the Indian team
What they said
“Really excited as a collective to be here and get the opportunity to do this. You know, we’ve got a few guys that are crossing over from the World Cup and also have a lot of fresh faces here. They’re excited to be in India and play for Australia for the first time in this country” – Matthew Wade, Australia captain
“When I met the squad in the afternoon today, I told them to be very selfless when you go into the field. Because I’m a guy who doesn’t think too much about personal milestones but instead thinks of a team’s goal. And I’ve always told them that you have to keep the team first” – Suryakumar Yadav, India captain
