India is gearing up to face Australia’s Prime Minister's XI in a crucial two-day warm-up match from November 30 to December 1 at Manuka Oval, Canberra. This match is vital for India’s preparations ahead of the Day-Night Test on December 6 at the Adelaide Oval, which is the second Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series.
The series has expanded to five matches, with the first Test scheduled at the Optus Stadium in Perth on November 22. Following the Prime Minister's XI warm-up, India will head into the day-night contest with high stakes involved. Cricket Australia CEO Nick Hockley expressed excitement about India's participation, highlighting the importance of this fixture in the cricketing calendar.
India has a strong track record in pink-ball Tests, winning three out of four games, including victories against Bangladesh (2019), Australia (2020), England (2021), and Sri Lanka (2022). However, they have only played one Day-Night Test overseas before this series, which makes the upcoming Adelaide match particularly significant.
India's last Day-Night Test against Australia in Adelaide ended memorably but negatively, as the team suffered its lowest-ever Test score of 36 runs in the second innings. They had initially led by 53 runs before a dramatic collapse against the Australian bowling attack consisting of Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood. Despite that setback, India staged a remarkable comeback in the series with wins in Melbourne, a draw in Sydney, and a historic victory at the Gabba, largely attributed to Rishabh Pant’s exceptional performance.
This warm-up match serves as an essential opportunity for India to acclimatise to the conditions and fine-tune their skills ahead of the challenging day-night Test format.