You can smell it in the air. In just over 24 hours, Test cricket will be back on Australian soil for the first time in almost 12 months.
India are here and Australia are looking for revenge from the last time they faced the subcontinent’s most feared team on these shores, which of course will be a slightly easier task with Steve Smith and David Warner back in the line-up (yes, Warner is currently out with a leg injury, but he will most likely be on-field for Boxing Day).
But the preparation for the first Test, a day-night affair in Adelaide, has been anything but cruisy for the Aussies.
Apart from the scare Smith sent through the camp yesterday, when he was unable to train in the main hit-out before the series opener, their opening mess at the top of the order looks a one-way trip to misery and the middle order appears unsettled.
Justin Langer has revealed that, if fit – and it’s a big if – Cameron Green will make his debut, while Marnus Labuschagne won’t open the batting, leaving two of Marcus Harris, Joe Burns and Matthew Wade to be named at the top of the order.
The bottom line is that the best XI isn’t settled and that, so close to the first ball of the series, is a cause for concern.
Cameron Green (Photo by Mark Brake/Getty Images)
I wrote earlier this week about the Australian selectors needing to throw away the manual at the top of the order, but it’s looking more and more likely that Burns and Harris will be there.
Harris’ form has been under par, while Burns has been downright atrocious with the bat in all of his knocks to start the summer, both at Sheffield Shield level and in the tour games played over the last fortnight.
If Wade is to come up the order and open (and he should, particularly if Green is going to play), then it’s also an unproven quantity.
Limited overs opening batsman? Sure, been there, done that, and with great success. But Test opening batsman? He has never even proven himself at Sheffield Shield level at the top of the order, and against a swinging red ball, to go with a firey Indian bowling attack, it would be a monumental risk.
Labuschagne and Smith will bat at three and four, and are the best players in the side with Warner out, but following them, it’s onto Travis Head or Wade himself if not opening, Green, and captain Tim Paine.
That won’t inspire a lot of confidence. While Head had a strong start to the Sheffield Shield season, he scored just 18 in the first innings against India in the tour game and has only had a single century in his last 15 Test innings.
And while Paine has been a great leader during a troubling time, his Test average leaves a lot to be desired, as does his form. Despite a rare Shield century to kick-off the season, he has only made it to double figures once in the five innings since.
Add that to a debutant, albeit one who is on fire, and there is a real cause for concern about where the runs are going to come from.
The Indian bowlers will be licking their lips, and if they find a way to get rid of Labuschagne and Smith cheaply, Australia have the potential to fall apart like a house of cards.
That, of course, won’t be an easy task, given the incredible consistency of scoring runs from both batsmen, but this is going to be a difficult series.
Marnus Labuschagne (Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)
Adelaide under lights can prove to be a tricky place to bat and with Jasprit Bumrah, potentially the best bowler in the world, India can trouble two of the best batsmen in the world.
In truth, the battle between Bumrah and the rest of the attack against Smith and Labuschagne is where this series may be won and lost.
Teams have begun to figure Smith out and Bumrah’s aggressive bowling could well trouble the former Australian captain, while Labuschagne is likely to be in early more often than he isn’t, putting enormous pressure on Australia’s most consistent number three since Ricky Ponting in his prime.
In saying that, Smith averages a ridiculous 71.14 in Australia with the bat, while Labuschagne ticks along at a staggering 85.41 on home soil, the duo piling up runs last summer.
India will post a stiffer challenge than Pakistan and New Zealand did, but Smith and Labuschagne are the glue holding Australia’s fragile batting together, and there is a strong likelihood they will find themselves at the crease with Australia two-for-not-many multiple times throughout this series.
That is something they weren’t often faced with last summer given the nature of starts David Warner and co. got the team off to. But without in-form and potentially makeshift openers, at least for the summer’s opening Test, they will be under the pump.
The weight of a nation’s hopes rests on Smith and Labuschagne. If it all proves too much, Australia might as well hand the Border-Gavaskar trophy to India now.
Rohan
Roar Rookie
I have thought he was ok stopgap previously, but after hearing him on mic in the night session last night I was shocked, he talks to the team like children, I find Langer can sound patronising too at times, the lads must be getting sick of that.
Rohan
Roar Rookie
I heard Wade describing his off stump guard this morning and I was worried. Guess what? Out lbw
Micko
Roar Rookie
Didn't even carry, settle down! :thumbdown:
Pierro
Roar Rookie
And there we go paine drops pujara first over . Here we go again
Chris Kettlewell
Roar Guru
For everyone suggesting Smith should be captain again there are two saying he shouldn't be. But also, that talk didn't come up because of anything to do with Paine, or anything to do with Smith. It came up purely because Finch was injured for a T20, and the regular vc was already being rested from those games to prepare for the tests, so they needed to find someone to captain. Hence captaincy talk happened. Paine really isn't under threat at the moment. He's been this central figure in the rebuilding of the whole culture around the Australian cricket team, I'm pretty sure he has a lot of respect inside that change room as well as in Cricket Australia and I expect that, without a player showing Gilchrist-style dominance that demands a chance at test level, Paine will get the chance to retire on his own terms and a new captain will come once that happens. In the meantime they are trying to build up possible candidates for that position when it comes.
Pierro
Roar Rookie
Wow Yadav is in jeff and they didn't go with pant . They've really gone for a more conservative test side . Intersting a few Australia a match Indian players did get a start . Yadav and Ashwin no jadeja
Nathan Tee
Roar Rookie
If they give Hazlewood a rest how cool would it be to bring in Siddle for one last hurrah! Absolute legend!
JamesH
Roar Guru
Me too...
Pierro
Roar Rookie
Pattinson was outstanding at mcg last year . Hazelwood had the injury of course then I hope the selectors don't get selective memory . That said the liability against india at mcg from in 18 was starc and lyon was so so. They of course we're better against pakistan but generally mcg and scg are poor grounds for them in fact pakistan bolsterered their poor averages at the grounds . Adelaide however they both tend to do exceptionally well
Pierro
Roar Rookie
Wouldn’t totally disagree about inglis or that paines a better keeper necessarily but let’s see how paine goes onan away tour in Sth Africa. carey’s not a bad keeper , he has been in cricket a shorter period of time as a late bloomer but his batting is a step up from paines and sometimes those potential 30 to 70 runs extra abroad can be vital . Carey was just making half centuries against the second string indian side and so not sure he can do any more than he is doing . It’s an interesting situation now with ingles in the chasing pack . The noises are growing for smith to become captain lately , if we can’t beat a weakened sth African team which we should then paine won’t be long for captain and then it will get harder for him to keep his position I think
DTM
Roar Rookie
I think Australia will win the series but India are a chance in Adelaide. Last series, no Warner, no Smith and the team was a shadow of today's side - in personel and confidence. On top of that, Kohli is going home after the first test. If Australia win in Adelaide, it could be 4-0.
DTM
Roar Rookie
There's not much between the first 4 but here's the list: www.icc-cricket.com/rankings/mens/team-rankings/test
DJM
Roar Rookie
They have. If he comes in at 2/400 he doesn’t seem to have the same steely determination as when he comes in at 2/10. Not sure it’s what I’d call a winning tactic though.
Chris Kettlewell
Roar Guru
Actually, Paine is a way better keeper than Carey. Carey's glovework could certainly do with some work. I think most people would suggest that Inglis is a better keeper than Carey, and with him breaking through for his maiden first class hundred in the Shield this year, and then following it up with a second a few games later, if Paine has another couple of years in the test team still, there's every chance Inglis leapfrogs Carey in the pecking order in that time. Of course, that's a big if, Inglis could go on from that and score lots more runs and drive his average up, or it could be 5 years before he scores another hundred.
Ouch
Roar Rookie
I wasn't aware Aust was ranked number 1.
Micko
Roar Rookie
The Indians put up some big scores last time, but the weak aussie batting meant the fast bowlers got more fatigued the longer the series went on, as their time of rest between innings wasn't great with that woeful top six.
Paul D
Roar Rookie
Deference to the money I'm sure We're lucky the chinese don't play cricket, we'd have scomo running drinks out to them during the over breaks
Jeff
Roar Rookie
I expect Hazelwood would not play all 4 Tests based on recent management of him. Interesting when considering the back up options.
Pierro
Roar Rookie
Agreed mate
Jeff
Roar Rookie
Would hate for Australia to cut its' nose of to spite it's face, as the saying goes. Push him too far on bowling then he is unavailable as a batsman also.