India vs Australia 2020 Live score and latest update of 1st Test at Adelaide: It has been a fantastic first session for Australia. India won the toss, decided to bat and made their way through to the end of the first session with some bruises. It was a fascinating session with Aussie pacers not even giving an inch away, the accuracy was spot on and that led to the dismissals of the openers. It seems like Pujara and Kohli need to be watchful for some more time before they start playing their shots. We will be back soon with the coverage of the second session.
Preview: A peerless Virat Kohli and his "fearless" India would look to make perfect choices before unleashing their might on an Australian team which is ready for revenge but not exactly in 'pink of health' ahead of the first Day/Night Test starting on Thursday.
Media mogul Kerry Packer, while promoting his path-breaking 'World Series Day/Night Test matches' on Channel 9 back in late 1970s, had an unforgettable caption "Big Boys Play At Night".
Even in 2020, there couldn't have been a more appropriate catch-line for a series where Kohli's magnificence meets its match in Steve Smith's manic consistency, Cheteshwar Pujara's doggedness challenged by a much younger Marnus Labuschagne, ready to show the world that he isn't a one-season wonder. All this would be under lights at the Adelaide Oval.
And then there are those mean fast men on both sides aiming to instill the fear of pink ball in the twilight zone, creating all sorts of doubts in the batsmen's minds.
A Josh Hazlewood versus Mohammed Shami will be as enticing a sub-plot as Jasprit Bumrah bowling those yorkers in reply to Pat Cummins' barrage of bouncers.
With a workhorse like Ishant Sharma missing from Indian ranks and the enforcer David Warner absent in the Australian line-up, the teams are evenly placed in terms of strength.
However, there will certainly be some distinct home advantage for Australia along with the experience of playing more Day/Night Tests.
A day/night Test match has its own little grammar where batsmen are expected to attack in the first session while bowlers are at their peak once the sun sets, allowing the pink kookaburra to pick its pace up.
Never has an Indian team been so spoilt for choices with multiple options in place for various positions.
Even 24 hours before the game, one can't be sure what exactly would be the perfect combination going into a Test match which isn't exactly conventional in nature.
And the two practice games have only thrown up more dilemmas for India rather than giving them definitive answers that they were seeking from the encounters.
The biggest debate is the opening position. Prithvi Shaw and Mayank Agarwal, as a pair, flopped in New Zealand on seaming tracks, and Shaw's shot-a-ball trigger happy batting technique isn't exactly inspiring the highest confidence.
In Shubman Gill, India have one for the future but will Kohli and Ravi Shastri be ready to throw a youngster at the deep end of the pool or overlook KL Rahul's poor Test track record and bank more on his experience?
Two days before the game, a clear picture hasn't emerged although Gill's batting has earned him the vote of both Allan Border and Sunil Gavaskar, the two names inscribed on the glittering trophy that the teams are playing for.
Here's all you need to know about the first Test at Adelaide:
When is the Australia vs India 1st Test?
The England vs Australia 1st Test will begin on Thursday, 17 December 2020.
Where will the Australia vs India 1st Test be played?
The Australia vs India 1st Test will be played at the Adelaide Oval.
What time does the Australia vs India 1st Test begin?
The Australia vs India 1st Test is a Day/Night fixture and the match will begin at 9.30 PM IST.
Which TV channels will broadcast the Australia vs India 1st Test?
The Australia vs India 1stTest will be telecast on the Sony Pictures Sports Network. The match will also be live-streamed on SonyLIV. You can also catch the live updates on Firstpost.com.
Squads
India: Virat Kohli (captain), Mayank Agarwal, Shubman Gill, Prithvi Shaw, KL Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane (vc), Hanuma Vihari, Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Rishabh Pant (wk), Ravichandra Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah, Umesh Yadav, Navdeep Saini, Mohammed Siraj, Kuldeep Yadav.
Australia: Tim Paine (captain & wicketkeeper), Joe Burns, Pat Cummins, Cameron Green, Marcus Harris, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Moises Henriques, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Michael Neser, James Pattinson, Steven Smith, Mitchell Starc, Mitchell Swepson, Matthew Wade.
With inputs from PTI
