Test Cricket..

Hi all,

Test cricket as the name suggests, is the real test of the game. The longest but the enthralling form of the game will never lose its glory. The recent test match series between India and England is a testament to it.

Though, to our sadness we are just a loss away from, losing our number 1 status in test ranking, anyways stats are just numbers, which matters sometime a lot, and doesn matter other times.. But these stats are the ones which keep test cricket interesting, its the game that is. With the advent of T20 people thought test cricket which is the slowest of all the current formats will soon cease to exist, but the game has continued to prove our assumptions wrong, test cricket will never disappear, nothing has to be made in test cricket to make it interesting, its already interesting folks !

While in one day matches, we have variety of rules evolved over the period, to make it interesting, like having power play, free hit , field restrictions etc, test cricket has remained the way it was from before,and continues to excite the people. Its not just test matches of India , game lovers watch, test cricket will always be interesting whoever plays, as the game has too much of intricate things. 

While one day matches show the talent of a team , T20 shows the pressure of playing, test cricket gives u all. T20 gives pressure with too less time to react and think, test cricket gives u too much of time, and makes the game more interesting , and it gives pressure for more availability, and point of survival comes. 

One day game too is difficult, but its short , and its just shows the presence of mind, its just a matter of few good overs, the fortunes can fluctuate easily, in t20 chuck it, its always fluctuating, but on the test cricket, its not just a few good hits make the game swing, its the continuous perseverance and calmness that fluctuates the game. 

Not all would have forgotten the heroics of Sehwag in Chennai test, who would have imagined that India would chase 387, if that was a fast paced script of a victory, laxman pulled out a victory from jaws of defeat in Mohali last year, ishant sharma and a injured Laxman, made the whole world look at us and say, thats a class act of a class team, one day with less than 200 runs to chase, with 5 wickets remaining, considering Aussies bowling attack, that match went haywire, as India scripted a slow yet convicing one wicket victory.

That made the beginning of the India's reign in test cricket, and now most likely its gonna end this year in England, unless MS and Co pull out a miraculous victory and level the series, the chances of it are pretty low considering our team's strength, and their team and bench strength..

I was following this test match pretty intensely, particularly the second innings as, India looked very well posed for a defeat, and Sachin was leading a lonely battle in one end, and as per the wide perceived thought of Sachin's century and India loses, I thought atleas let him a get century in TrentBridge, while in lords the scorecard didn read hundred, but his thermometers did . But sadly it didn happen that way, and as the master said during Newzealand tour that the fiftieth one is may be against a better opponent, the hundredth will come in a better way in a much needed situation. I would like it to have it one of the 2 matches left in this series, which will make us win.. 

Test cricket, due to its immense pressure, has always been controversy-ridden. The recent test had over effect of it, Laxman- Vaughan's vaseline controversy, MS/Sachin/Laxman?Dravid - Ian Bell run out , and the last but not the least, commentators Ravi Shastri and Nasser Hussain. Who would have expected commentators to fight against each other, literally one abusing the other, and both claiming that they spoke their opinions , and not targetted at any one.And of all persons, Dada to come and pacify things, that made the icing on the cake.

I still remember the day Nasser Hussain , came to my office, for a leadership talk series, he was quoted, " Everyone in England ,no matter whether they follow cricket or not , they hate Sourav ", such was his statement, and the reason well known, of course Lord's Balcony. At their own backyard celebrating like that, was adding not just salt but liquor to fire. And of all things, Nasser and Dada went on to pacify things in the commentary box. 

But one thing I learnt from this series, is that not all teams can continue to dominate, the period of dominance is the difference among the teams, not everyone are conscious about their fitness, while most of the people opted out of the Carribean tour, none opted out of IPL. Its not just this ranking thats going to get affected due to highly cramped schedule, its the team as a whole. Following England series we have a tough one next in Australia, before that Champions League, huh, its time BCCI realizes money is not everything, to make gold, they need the goose,and it should be taken care of and not killed..

Test cricket, the real test, the next 2 matches, may be a sad end for MS and Co, but its a real test of character, its MS's probably first acid test as a captain as his form his in serious scrutiny, Sachin's pressure of hundredth hundred, and of course the rivalry in the commentary box, will continue, as the battle goes on and on..
At the end , its the spirit of the game, which has made it large , neither Bhajji's ad or Dhoni's !!
For all you people, who missed the commentary war , here is the link,
http://tricksplanet.com/ravi-shastri-nasser-hussain-in-an-on-air-spat-during-commentary-over-udrs/
http://www.criconline.tv/ravi-shastri-going-nuts-over-nassers-comment/

Bye till next,