Test Match

Rewriting History, Down Under!

Well, the past couple of days have been the most gratifying for Indian fans and players alike. To put things into perspective, this Indian Team has achieved what no other team from the subcontinent before could manage. India came tantalizingly close to winning the series once, in 2003/04, but Steve Waugh’s stern resistance in his last test match at the SCG meant India would have to come back again and try their luck in another series. In all, 71 years and several disappointing tours later, Team India registers its first-ever series win against Australia in Australia.

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For the first time in so many years, India went into a Test series in Australia as favorites and understandably so. This was touted as our best chance to win against Australia Down Under. If the previous two away tours were anything to go by, India looked well poised to at least put up a good fight and challenge the Aussies in their backyard. As it turned out, we outplayed them completely in all the three departments in three out of four test matches. That Australia was without two of their best batsmen and it made things easier for us is an argument Aussies would love to put out, but the fact that they could not find suitable replacements all throughout the year reflects poorly on their bench strength.

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Everyone had their eyes set on Prithvi Shaw and Virat Kohli for this series. Prithvi, sadly, had to bow out before the first test, having twisted his ankle during the only warm-up game. Throughout the series, on almost all instances (barring the third one), the openers made way for Pujara pretty early into the innings. The Indian No. 3, then, steadied the ship and more often than naught made sure the team was out of danger, rather, in a position of strength. The discipline and determination with which he has batted could be a lesson for a lot of youngsters in the art of batsmanship in the longest format of the game. He scored over 500 runs and was rightly adjudged the Man of the series for his stupendous performance with the bat. Others, including Kohli and Rahane, batted around him and helped India post decent totals on the board. Mayank made his debut in whites in the second half of the series and to be honest, he looked like he belonged there. He had to wait to get his chance in the sun, but when he did get one, he made sure that he made it count. Pant got starts throughout the series and he ended the tour on a high as he scored a quick-fire century in the first innings of the last test match.

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The bowlers have been simply magnificent, to say the least, on this tour. We have consistently managed to get 20 wickets and that has been one of the major reasons for our improved performance in Tests since past 12-15 months. Bumrah, Shami, and Ishant have been lethal with both, the new ball and old. Jaddu, Ash, and Kuldeep have had a part to play as well but the early breakthroughs with the new ball and the sustained pressure from the quicks have been instrumental in India gaining the upper hand. The bowlers made sure that we were always there or thereabouts and never let the game drift away from us. They have had a great impact, especially in low scoring games, like the first one in Adelaide.

Test cricket, dear readers, is well alive and kicking. Contests like these reinforce its importance as the mother of all formats. Sure, the skillsets required to succeed in Tests may not be the most sought after or fashionable in the modern day and age, but it in the process of attaining those, we discover our true self and therein lies the beauty of this game.

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This series win is a memorable one and the whole country is proud of our boys. There have been several great players from the previous touring teams who couldn’t realize this dream, but Kohli & Co. have managed to do something incredible here and they deserve every bit of success which they have achieved.

Here’s to more success and dominance overseas.

 

India end English tour with a bagful of ‘If Only’s’

Right, so another overseas assignment has been done away with. And, much to our disappointment, the series scorecard is a pale reflection of everything that transpired during this English summer. Not that the Indian team played bad cricket and lost, it was competitive all the way; it was just that we could not capitalize on occasions which, in hindsight now, were match-defining moments.

England v India: Specsavers 1st Test - Day Three

In a way, this is a rather tricky piece for me to put together because unlike other away tours, we actually did pretty well. In most of the games, in the test series especially, barring the one at the Lords, India always looked to be in it with a chance. The beauty of Test match cricket was for all to see. There were runs for the batsmen and wickets for the bowlers. The Duke ball did what it does best, trouble the batsmen, ask questions of him, his technique, and reward the bowler for his consistency and immaculate line and length.

India, however, would return with an unsettled top order. The top order has struggled right throughout the series and except for a couple of occasions, they allowed the English bowlers to draw first blood pretty early into the innings. Vijay and Dhawan, I believe, have slim chances of playing in whites again. Rahul showed glimpses of what he is capable of as a player, and in the last match, played an innings that reaffirmed the faith shown in him by the team management. But consistency is the key when you bat at the top of the order and there is ample scope of improvement there. Pujara looked short on confidence, to begin with, but showed great maturity and character as the series progressed. Kohli, yet again, was the standout performer for India. He has made a habit out of it and here’s hoping he continues to do so. He amassed close to 600 runs as he shunned away all the ghosts of the ‘Christmas Past’.

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The biggest takeaway from the 4-1 series loss is the heart with which India’s fast bowlers bowled. They ran in hard and bowled fast. Ishant, Bumrah, and Shami either kept us in the game or changed the course of the game, in our favor. The Indian quicks clocked better (read: higher) speeds than their English counterparts; a rare occurrence. Ishant looked dangerous after long and his stint there in county cricket has surely helped. English conditions rendered Ashwin ineffective for most parts of the tour. He could not contribute much with both, bat as well as the ball, and this could well open up a slot for another spinner in the side. With all due respect, Ash just wasn’t able to make the most of the conditions on offer. Moeen Ali has more wickets in the series, and he has played half the number of matches that Ashwin has. This should set the alarms off for him (Ashwin)!

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This test series, like the one versus South Africa earlier this year, was high on promise, low on returns.

Statisticians would say, numbers don’t lie, but the final scoreline of 4-1, does (very) little justice to the level of competitiveness which this series was played in. Although there is a lot to ponder upon for Team India, this does not, at all, call for sweeping changes in the side. There is undeniable quality in our squad. If only they can match it with a right frame of mind and temperament required to succeed at the highest level. Here’s to better times ahead.

Welcome aboard, Afghanistan!

Wait. What? Who? It is India vs? Whoa! Afghanistan!!! That is right friends! India will be hosting Afghanistan for its first ever Test match. They have (consistently) done well enough to earn itself this status. What a moment it is for all the cricket fans around the world, especially the ones back home in Afghanistan, to see their players, representing their country in the greatest, if not the grandest format of, what I believe is the greatest sport in this world.

Afghanistan will be playing its first ever test match in Bengaluru at the Chinnaswamy stadium. I am sure everyone in that squad will be pumped to go out and do their best. They are coming on the back of an incredible series whitewash against Bangladesh, in their adopted home, Dehradun. They have quite a few match winners in their lineup. They boast of some exciting talent and it will be a big opportunity for them to get a taste of test match cricket at the highest level against the number one ranked team in the format, at their home!

There is no doubt that India will start this one-off battle as the favorites and that they should win it comprehensively. However, having said that, one must not take any opposition lightly.

Afghanistan’s bowling is good enough to trouble Indian batsmen. I won’t be surprised if the track at the Chinnaswamy does not support the spinners. Because, if it does, then, well, let’s just say we will have a good game at our hands. I am not discrediting the Indian batsmen, but Rashid, Mujeeb, and Nabi are a force to reckon with. Rashid and Mujeeb in particular, simply because of the fact that they have so many variations up their sleeve. Also, they have become street-smart cricketers with the IPL experience which they have had over the last couple of years. They have developed an ability to read the game pretty well.

As for India, they will be missing the services of Virat for this game. Ajinkya will lead them in this test match. Dinesh Karthik will be seen in the whites after quite a while. His would be a comeback of sorts. Other than that, I don’t see any change with the playing eleven. Lokesh Rahul too is someone I am hoping would be amongst those who take the field.

It would be an enthralling and an action-packed day of cricket. I would love to see this game last the full five days. It is called Test match cricket for a reason and it would be great to see how the Afghans fare in this format. They have been the best amongst the associate teams in the recent years and this elevation is richly deserved.

Ultimately, it is this game that has benefited the most. It is up to those higher up the ranks to promote and market this great game of ours. This would bring in the audience from the ‘deprived’ sections of the world, who for far long have been cut off from experiencing the richness of this sport. It would help cultivate heroes for the young kids to look up to. People would turn to this sport to derive some inspiration out of it. Lastly, it can be a source of great joy and happiness for the fans, who so strongly root for their team, to come together, and celebrate this wonderful game.

Here’s wishing you all the very best in your first game, Afghanistan!