International cricket tour
The India cricket team toured Australia from November 2020 to January 2021 to play four Tests, three One Day Internationals (ODIs) and three Twenty20 International (T20I) matches. The Test series formed part of the inaugural ICC World Test Championship, and the ODI series formed part of the inaugural ICC Cricket World Cup Super League.
In February 2020, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced that they wanted to play one of the Test matches as a day/night fixture. On 22 October 2020, the tour was approved by the NSW Government, with Sydney and Canberra confirmed as the hosts of the limited overs matches. Four days later, Cricket Australia confirmed the fixtures for the tour. On 9 November 2020, the BCCI announced that India's captain Virat Kohli had been granted paternity leave, and left the tour after the first Test match. Ajinkya Rahane led the Indian team in Kohli's absence.
Australia won the first and second ODI matches to take a lead in the series. India won the third ODI match by 13 runs, with Australia winning the series 2–1. India also won the first and second T20I matches, winning the T20I series with a game to spare. This series victory made Virat Kohli the first captain to win a T20I series in both Australia and England. Australia won the third and final match by 12 runs, with India winning the series 2–1.
In the first Test, India were bowled out for 36 runs in the second innings, their lowest team total in a Test match. Australia went on to win the match by eight wickets. India then won the second Test by the same margin to level the series. The third Test ended in a draw, with the series remaining at 1–1. India won the fourth and final Test match by three wickets, to win the series 2–1.
Background.
In April 2020, Kevin Roberts, CEO of Cricket Australia looked at "creative" solutions for the tour due to the COVID-19 pandemic. These included the possibility of playing five Test matches instead of four, and to play all the Test matches behind closed doors at the Adelaide Oval. The Australian government was also looking at applying international travel exemptions to allow the tour to happen. The following month, the BCCI confirmed that they were willing to put players in a two-week quarantine period to ensure that the tour goes ahead. Kevin Roberts later added that there is a "nine out of 10" chance of the tour taking place. The Test series was scheduled to start in December 2020, with the first Test in Brisbane. The ODI series was scheduled to start in January 2021. On 28 May 2020, Cricket Australia confirmed all of the fixtures for the series. The following day, Kevin Roberts stated that the number of Test venues could be reduced to one or two grounds, depending on any travel restrictions imposed due to the virus.
Originally, the tour was also going to start with three Twenty20 International (T20I) matches, commencing on 11 October 2020, ahead of the then scheduled 2020 ICC Men's T20 World Cup. However, in July 2020, the International Cricket Council (ICC) confirmed that the tournament had been postponed until 2021, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, the T20I matches were postponed, after they clashed with the revised fixtures for the 2020 Indian Premier League. Despite a lockdown in Melbourne in August 2020, Cricket Australia said they would do everything they can to ensure the Boxing Day Test goes ahead as planned. Cricket Australia were also looking at a revised schedule for the tour, including playing all the limited-overs matches before the Test series. On 20 August 2020, Sourav Ganguly, president of the BCCI, said that India's senior men's team would travel to Australia to fulfil their Future Tours Programme (FTP) commitments.
In September 2020, Cricket Australia were looking at further contingency plans for the tour, including moving venues if needed, and the possibility of replacing the Test match in Brisbane with white-ball fixtures. It was later announced that no matches of any form of cricket would be played in Perth, due to a major quarantine breach by then-Sydney Swans player Elijah Taylor during the 2020 AFL season.
In October 2020, an updated tour itinerary was published, with the ODIs taking place in Brisbane, the T20Is taking place in Adelaide, and the day/night Test match also taking place in Adelaide. Cricket Australia also confirmed that the Sydney Cricket Ground and the Manuka Oval in Canberra were part of their contingency plan to host the limited overs matches of the tour.
In October 2020, plans began to emerge to allow crowds back into venues, with Australia slowly coming out of COVID-19 restrictions. The following month, Cricket Australia confirmed the ground capacities for each match on the tour, with the possibility of more tickets being made available closer to the start of each match.
In late December 2020, there was a COVID-19 outbreak in Sydney, prompting tighter restrictions in New South Wales. As a result, Cricket Australia looked at the contingency of swapping the venues of the third and fourth Tests in Sydney and Brisbane respectively. Other scenarios that Cricket Australia were looking at was to host the last two Tests in Sydney, to avoid travel between states, or to host the second and third Tests in Melbourne. On 29 December 2020, Cricket Australia confirmed that Sydney would host the third Test as scheduled. On 4 January 2021, the crowd capacity of the Sydney Cricket Ground was reduced from 50% to 25%.
Squads.
On 26 October 2020, India named their squad for the tour, with Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Kartik Tyagi, Ishan Porel and T. Natarajan named as additional bowlers to travel with the team. Rohit Sharma and Ishant Sharma were not named in India's squads, after both players suffered injuries during the 2020 Indian Premier League. KL Rahul was named as the vice-captain of India for the limited overs matches, in place of Rohit Sharma.
On 9 November 2020, the BCCI made several updates for the squads for the tour. Virat Kohli was granted paternity leave to leave the squad after the first Test match, and Rohit Sharma was added to India's Test squad for the tour. T. Natarajan was added to India's T20I squad, replacing Varun Chakravarthy who was ruled out due to an injury, and Sanju Samson was added to India's ODI squad as an extra wicket-keeper. Kamlesh Nagarkoti, one of the four additional bowlers named for the tour, was also ruled out due to the management of his workload. On 12 November 2020, the Indian squad arrived in Sydney to begin a two-week long quarantine period. On 24 November 2020, the BCCI confirmed that Ishant Sharma and Rohit Sharma had been ruled out of the first two Test matches. On 26 November 2020, T. Natarajan was added to India's squad for the ODI series. Natarajan was named as cover for Navdeep Saini, who was suffering with a back spasm. Later the same day, the BCCI also confirmed that Ishant Sharma had been ruled out of the tour due to injury.
In November 2020, Kane Richardson was withdrawn from Australia's ODI and T20I squads, after he opted to stay at home with his newborn son. Andrew Tye was named as Richardson's replacement. On 30 November 2020, David Warner was ruled out of the remaining limited-overs games after suffering a groin injury in the second ODI. Subsequently, D'Arcy Short was named as Warner's replacement in the T20I series. Additionally, Pat Cummins was rested for the remainder of the white-ball matches to prepare for the Test series. Ashton Agar was ruled out of Australia's squad for the T20I series due to an injury, with Mitchell Swepson replacing him.
On 4 December 2020, India's Ravindra Jadeja suffered a concussion during the first T20I match. He was ruled out of the rest of the T20I series, with Shardul Thakur named as his replacement. The following day, Cameron Green was released from Australia's T20I squad, with Nathan Lyon named as his replacement. On 6 December 2020, Mitchell Starc withdrew from Australia's squad for the rest of the T20I series for personal reasons.
On 9 December 2020, David Warner was ruled out of Australia's squad for the first Test in Adelaide, due to an injury. On 12 December 2020, Marcus Harris was added to Australia's squad, after Will Pucovski was ruled out of the first Test in Adelaide due to a concussion. On 14 December 2020, Sean Abbott was ruled out of Australia's squad for the first Test due to an injury, with Moises Henriques named as Abbott's replacement. On 23 December 2020, Cricket Australia confirmed that both David Warner and Sean Abbott had also been ruled out of the second Test. On 30 December 2020, Joe Burns was dropped from Australia's squad for the third and fourth Tests, with David Warner, Will Pucovski and Sean Abbott returning to the Test squad. On 4 January 2021, James Pattinson was ruled out of the third Test, and was not replaced in Australia's squad. Will Pucovski was ruled out of Australia's squad for the fourth Test due to a shoulder injury, with Marcus Harris named as his replacement.
On 11 December 2020, the BCCI confirmed that Rohit Sharma had passed a fitness assessment, and would be available for selection for the last two Test matches. On 19 December 2020, Mohammed Shami was ruled out of India's squad for the last three Tests, after suffering a fractured arm in the first Test. T. Natarajan was added to India's squad ahead of the third Test match. Umesh Yadav was ruled out of India's squad for the last two Tests, due to a calf injury. Shardul Thakur was also added to India's squad for the last two Test matches, replacing Mohammed Shami. On 2 January 2021, Rohit Sharma was named the vice-captain of India's squad for the last two Test matches. On 5 January 2021, KL Rahul was ruled out of the last two Test matches due to a wrist sprain. Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin and Hanuma Vihari were both ruled out of the fourth Test due to injuries they sustained in the third Test. Jasprit Bumrah was also ruled out of India's squad for the fourth Test, following an abdominal strain. On 12 January 2021, Washington Sundar was added to India's squad for the fourth Test, replacing Ravindra Jadeja.
Tour matches.
Two three-day tour matches were played in Sydney, with both matches having first-class status. The second match was a day/night fixture in preparation for the first Test.
Test series.
1st Test.
Day One.
Prithvi Shaw was bowled by Mitchell Starc with the second ball of the match. India consolidated by batting slowly, even as multiple chances were created but not taken by the Australians—Pujara had chances while on 0, 2 and 4, all evading fielders. India lost Agarwal with a ball from Cummins that nipped between bat and pad. Kohli and Pujara were not out at the lunch break, with India 2/41 after 25 overs, Pujara 17 and Kohli 5. India continued to bat slowly until tea, even after losing Pujara for 43 from 160 balls, India were 3/107 at the tea break. Just after 9pm, Rahane drove the ball to mid-off and called a run, but sent Kohli back leaving him stranded in the middle of the pitch. Hazlewood fielded the ball and Lyon broke the stumps, with Kohli being run out for 74. Rahane followed shortly after as he was dismissed lbw to Starc for 42 off 92 balls. Vihari was soon dismissed by Hazlewood, also by lbw, for 16 runs. After India were ahead for most of the day, Australia were now even or just in front, with India 6/233 at stumps.
Day Two.
India lost their seventh wicket without adding to their overnight score, Ashwin dismissed by Cummins on the 3rd ball of the day. Saha flashed at a wide ball from Starc the next over, but all he could manage was an edge through to Paine behind the stumps. The Indian tail lasted only a few more overs, with Starc and Cummins claiming the final two wickets of Yadav for 6 and Shami for a duck. India was all out for 244, adding only 11 to their overnight score.
Australia, like India, batted slowly with four consecutive maidens at the start of the innings. Wade, who was only 8