Australia's pace spearhead Mitchell Starc and the pink ball are a marriage made in the heavens. Starc loves to wake up late, wear his whites, and head to a day-night Test match with a pink ball in his hand. He has featured in all the day-night Tests Australia have played, picking up 74 wickets.

Starc is not the only rabbit in the hat of Australia, who have a love affair with day-night Tests. Although all have been at home, Australia have played the highest number of day-night Test matches -- thirteen. Except for a loss to the West Indies in Brisbane this year, their win-loss ratio is 12-1. To make matters worse for opponents, Australia have not lost a day-night Test match in Adelaide.

Australia's Mitchell Starc (R) celebrates dismissing India's Rishabh Pant (L) on the third day of the second Test in Adelaide on December 8, 2024. Photo: AFP

Day-night Tests started with the notion that people would find time after work to enjoy a Test match. The only difference is that the ball is pink. Whether that was a good idea or not, a pink ball swings better under the lights in Australia. The best time for the ball to swing is during the twilight period, a phase bowling sides look forward to. The formula is simple: win the toss and bat. The visiting side, India, won the toss and chose to bat. However, the fate of the match was scripted somewhere else.

The stakes and narratives

The build-up to the second Test at Adelaide brought different pressures for Australia and India. India had won the first Test in Perth by a massive 295 runs, thanks to Jasprit Bumrah's eight wickets in the match and centuries from Yashasvi Jaiswal and Virat Kohli. Australia did not get the chance to breathe or make a comeback.

With India 1-0 up, a victory in Adelaide would have taken the visitors to 2-0 with three to play, ensuring they retained the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT). Australia would have had little chance of winning the remaining three Tests. The Australian media echoed this narrative, questioning whether theirs was an ageing team.

Both teams faced this pressure because both had an eye on a ticket to the World Test Championship final. With South Africa and New Zealand not far behind, neither side could afford to lose the second Test.

Australia bounce back in Adelaide

In Adelaide, Australia became what India had been in Perth: a team firing on all cylinders. Starc struck with the first ball of the match, dismissing Jaiswal for a golden duck. Starc was magic on the day, swinging the pink ball at 3.3 degrees -- more than any bowler has achieved in a day-night Test at Perth. Bowling at the stumps kept the Indian batters guessing: should they leave, block, or play? India eventually folded for 180 in 44 overs.

There was a window of opportunity for India, as Australia had to face the twilight period on the opening day. Nathan McSweeney and Marnus Labuschagne did well to close at 86 for one at stumps. On the second day, the pair laid a foundation for India's nemesis and local boy, Travis Head, to seal the match with 140 off 141 balls. At stumps, India closed at 128 for five. Their last hope was Rishabh Pant, but Scott Boland, Pat Cummins, and Mitchell Starc worked as a trio to dismantle the Indian batting.

Photo: AFP

Where was Nathan Lyon? He bowled only one over in the match.

With hindsight, only Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammad Siraj stood out for India, taking eight wickets between them in Australia's first innings. India failed to capitalise on the twilight period on the opening day, and their batters could not handle the Boland-Cummins-Starc trio before Head's decisive knock sealed the fate of the fixture.

The series comes alive

With the series level at 1-1, it is now effectively a three-match series as the BGT lives up to its reputation for bringing excitement to Test cricket. 

For the moment, Australia breathe. Without hindsight, the team that execute a crucial innings will likely win the Test. In Perth, it was India's 487 for six (declared) in the second innings. In Adelaide, it was Australia's first innings 337 that decided the game's outcome.

It would be wise not to make predictions. The BGT 2024 is a contest between two champion teams, and that is what makes it a joy to watch.

The two powerhouses next lock horns at the Gabba in Brisbane on December 14. Traditionally Australia's fortress, India breached it the last time they played in 2020-21. Time will tell if lightning strikes twice.

Asrar Chowdhury is a Professor of Economics at Jahangirnagar University. He is a music enthusiast and freelance contributor to The Daily Star. Email: asrarul@juniv.edu.