India to Play 5 Tests in Australia After 36 Years: Searching for First Win in Perth, Team All-Out for 36 Runs in Adelaide; Venue Report

Team India has reached Australia to play a 5-match Test series after 36 years. India will play one match at each of Australia’s five major Test venues. Since 2018, India has played at least one match at each of these venues, winning all except for Perth and Sydney.

India is looking for its first win at the Optus Stadium in Perth. In Sydney, the team has drawn its last three Tests. Over the past 10 years, Team India has not lost any Test series against Australia. Meanwhile, the team has won four series, with a 2-1 margin, two wins at home and two in Australia.

Optus Stadium, Perth: Australia’s New Fortress?

Perth has two stadiums, the WACA Ground and the Optus Stadium. Since Australia made Optus Stadium a new Test venue, Test matches continued to be played at WACA until 2017. India played the first Test match here, after which Australia won despite Virat Kohli’s magnificent century. The first match of the series will be played here on November 22nd.

Australia has played four Tests at Perth and won all of them. Each time, the team batted first, scoring big and securing the win. The pitch here offers more assistance to pace bowlers, and in the last Test, India did not play a full-time spinner. Nonetheless, off-spinner Nathan Lyon holds the record for the most wickets at this venue with 27 wickets.

The average first innings score at Perth is 456 runs, so teams prefer to bat first after winning the toss. As the match progresses, batting becomes more difficult. Marnus Labuschagne is the top run-scorer at the ground with 519 runs. Kohli has an average of 70 here, while Mohammad Shami has taken 6 wickets.

Adelaide Oval: India Restricted to 36 in the Last Test

The name of Adelaide Stadium is associated with Virat Kohli’s captaincy debut, where he scored centuries in both innings in 2014. However, in 2020, under Kohli’s captaincy, Team India was bowled out for just 36 runs—its lowest total in Test cricket—in a day-night Test. India will now play only day-night Tests against Australia at this venue, starting December 6.

Australia has never lost a day-night Test at Adelaide. Since 2018, the team has played 6 Tests here, winning 5 of them. The only defeat to India came in 2018. Teams that batted first have won 4 Tests, while those that bowled first have won 2. The average first innings score is 375 runs. India has played 2 Tests here since 2018, winning one and losing one.

In overseas day-night Tests, the third session becomes crucial as the pink ball swings more under artificial light. In such conditions, both teams typically prefer to bowl in the third session. Mitchell Starc is the top bowler at Adelaide with 30 wickets. Kohli has scored 509 runs here at an average of 63, including 3 centuries.

The Gabba, Brisbane: Home Team Loses 2 Tests

The Gabba Stadium in Brisbane was Australia’s fortress until 2020. Since 1988, Australia had never lost a Test match here until India broke that streak in 2021, winning by 3 wickets and clinching the series. Later that same year, Australia also faced defeat at the hands of the West Indies.

Since 2018, Australia has played 6 Tests in Brisbane, winning 4 and losing 2. The team that batted first has won only once, a victory by the West Indies in a day-night Test this year. In all other day matches, the team bowling first has emerged victorious. The average first innings score is only 227 runs, so teams winning the toss prefer to bowl first.

India has played 2 Tests in Brisbane over the last 10 years, winning one and losing one. Pat Cummins has taken 36 wickets here over the past 6 years, while Marnus Labuschagne is the top run-scorer with 497 runs. For India, Rishabh Pant, Shubman Gill, and Washington Sundar have all scored half-centuries in this venue.

Melbourne Cricket Ground: India Hasn’t Lost Here in 12 Years

Melbourne Stadium has become a fortress for Team India in Test cricket. Since 2012, India has not lost a single Test match here, winning 2 and drawing 1 out of the 3 Tests played during this period. Both wins came in the last two tours. Australia has played 6 Tests at Melbourne since 2018, winning 4 and losing 2. Teams batting first have won 3 times, and teams bowling first have also won 3 times.

The average first innings score at Melbourne is 299 runs. India won its last match here while bowling first, with Ajinkya Rahane scoring a century and Jasprit Bumrah taking 6 wickets. Pat Cummins has taken 31 wickets here in the last 6 years, making him the highest wicket-taker. Pace bowlers get more assistance at Melbourne, and fast bowling has proven to be very effective in the third innings.

Bumrah has taken 15 wickets in 2 Tests at Melbourne, while Kohli has scored 316 runs at an average of 52.66, including a century. For Australia, Steve Smith has scored 1,093 runs in 11 Tests at this venue.

Sydney Cricket Ground: India Could Play with 2 Spinners

The pitch at Sydney is different from other Australian pitches, as it offers more assistance to spin rather than pace. India will play the final match of the series here starting January 3, with a chance of increased rainfall during this period. In 2018, persistent rain for two days forced India to settle for a draw in what was almost a winning match.

India has only drawn the last three Tests here. In 2014, the team drew due to a batting pitch; in 2018, the draw was due to rain; and in 2021, the match ended in a draw because of multiple wickets falling. The average first innings score at Sydney is 436 runs, with Nathan Lyon taking the most wickets (26) over the last 6 years.

India’s wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant has scored 292 runs in 2 Tests at Sydney, including a century and a half-century. Virat Kohli has made 248 runs here at an average of 49.60, with a century to his name. Among the bowlers, Mohammad Shami has taken 8 wickets in 2 Tests. However, despite his return to domestic cricket, his availability for the Australia tour has not been confirmed yet.