India’s tour of Australia gets underway

SYDNEY, November 26

The plans for India’s tour of Australia have been ripped up and redrawn dozens of times over the last eight months but the action finally gets underway with the first ODI at the Sydney Cricket Ground tomorrow.

It was at the same venerable ground on March 13 that Australia last hosted international men’s cricket, with the hosts beating New Zealand by 71 runs to snap a five-match losing streak in ODIs.

The 48,000 seats were empty that day as the Covid-19 pandemic began to bite but Australia’s relative success at containing the virus means up to half of them will be occupied tomorrow.

India’s squad will be raring to go after coming out of two weeks of quarantine, while Australia’s players will be reunited after preparing in two separate groups to satisfy biosecurity protocols.

Virat Kohli’s tourists are the second ranked ODI side in the world and will be looking to get into their groove in the three 50-over and three T20 matches that precede the four-match Test series around the new year. — Reuters