Border-Gavaskar Trophy: 2nd Test: Adelaide tickled pink by Team India’s presence | Cricket News

India's first training session under lights is an opportunity to enjoy, but important decisions await the team ahead of the crucial second Test
ADELAIDE: The delayed red-eye flight to Adelaide appeared to be in limbo on the tarmac in Singapore. The snaking snakes had long since left their state of excitement behind and fell into uneasy calm as they caught sight of one moment Gautam Gambhir caused a stir.
Border Gavaskar Trophy
India's coach returned to the Australian scene after a brief visit home. After exchanging glances, exchanging pleasantries and briefly shaking hands, he retreated into his own world, through the wide corridors of one of the world's busiest airports, but not before making everyone's hearts flutter.
A few hours later and into the next day, Gambhir stood still on another continent, first in the background and then in the nets of the second pacers as India's batsmen attacked the ground ahead of the crucial second Test against Australia.

Only this was no ordinary Nets session. Fierce hordes flocked to catch a rare glimpse of their stars in action. Adelaide, the city of bright colors, seemed to be tickled pink by the presence of India's star cricketers.
It was a gesture of goodwill, an open nets session to drum up interest, but the practice session turned into a concert frenzy. At times the security service had to be called to clear restricted areas. A thousand selfies were clicked. Excited teenagers called their friends and asked them to rush over. Beating drums rent the air, and of course Virat Kohli steeped in all the hero worship.
“Sab mazey le rahey hai (Everyone has fun)” Rishabh pants told Rohit Sharma in the adjacent nets at one point after finding it quite difficult to deal with Jasprit BumrahAkash Deep, Mohammed Siraj and Harshit Rana breathe fire with the pink ball. Rohit himself once warned Abhishek Nayar against talking about tactics in such a public opinion after explaining some front-foot trigger moves to the assistant coach.
Every block was applauded, every hit sparked a cheer. Every victory of the bowler was celebrated. This was education as a spectacle, networks as performance art.
Such is the level of excitement generated by the Indian team away from home that Australia's own open training session a few hours earlier seemed tepid in comparison, barring minor injury fears among their struggling star batters Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne.

Even without all the attention and cheerful chaos, this would have been an important session, the team's first with the pink ball in damp twilight, that dreaded time when the painted, colorful ball wobbles unpredictably and inspires fear of leaving the hitting power collapses in their wake.
In Adelaide, where Australia have never lost a pink-ball Test, the surface tends to fuel the pink fire. No wonder India's batters want more time in the nets to assess the challenge. In the first Test of the 2020-21 series, they fell to their lowest ever Test score of 36 in the second innings, but the sour taste is unlikely to last, especially as India came back to win that series. This time it's about consolidating the lead after the remarkable comeback win in Perth.
Questions still remain about the team's opening plans, and there is no doubt that these will become more important in the coming days. On Tuesday evening, Rohit Sharma and Rishabh Pant struck first, even before the warm-up. However, when the nets came back on, Perth opened the scoring Yashasvi Jaiswal And KL Rahul proceedings began and Rohit and Pant once again fought in tandem. India's captain may not be averse to playing in the middle order for the first time since 2019, but time – and conditions – will tell.
Also on Tuesday, Australia wicketkeeper Alex Carey went out of his way to point out why the pink ball is so difficult to see, saying: “Sometimes when the lights come on there can be a slight depth perception. You have to be careful.” pass the ball as close as you can, and pass it as quickly as possible. Sometimes it (the ball) seems to glow a little bit (pink)… kind of like a comet's tail.”
Given the strange patterns of the pink-ball Tests and the increasing uncertainty in the minds of players, it might be fair to call it a format in its own right, another oddity in modern cricket's mix of styles. Here on Adelaide Oval On Tuesday, however, the practicality of the pink tests didn't seem to matter. Nothing helped. The only star trails were left by India's cricketers.
Will the festive spirit last if the team doesn't feel well from Friday? Gambhir, who was standing quietly in the corner, seemingly unfazed by all the noise, may have been thinking the same thing.