Test cricket has
lost its past charm
India played
its 500th Test. It was against New Zealand. It was a milestone 84 years in the
making.
While looking
back at India’s performances in Test Cricket, one cannot forget Vijay Hazare’s
twin hundreds against Ray Lindwall and Keith Miller at Adelaide in 1948. Some
will be shocked to know that it wasn’t until 1952 that India won a Test. It was
M.A.K. Pataudi who first pursued the idea of a vibrant, united team in the
1960s. Cricketers like Ajit Wadekar, E.A.S.
Prasanna, B.S. Chandrasekhar, Bishan Bedi, and S. Venkataraghavan gave him a
strong support. The arrival of Sunil
Gavaskar in the Indian test cricket team led to revolution in Indian cricket.
At the same time we witnessed the
emergence of Kapil Dev — a world-class, all-round match-winner. Later on we had
powerful cricketers like Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Anil Kumble, V.V.S.
Laxman, Virender Sehwag, Sourav Ganguly and Zaheer Khan. M.S. Dhoni contributed to making India the world’s best team. While
talking of modern Indian cricket one cannot forget Virat Kohli.
Five Hundred
tests in 84 years make an average of around 6 tests per year. It has been the same team most of the time. BCCI has to think of more
quality and junior players to be introduced in these tests so that talented
ones will not miss the chance. It would enable our cricket to become healthier,
smarter and interesting. Introducing the same team without change throughout
the year will stop someone deserving to come up. It is true that India has achieved
great thing during the past years. Hope that India will reach the stage of one
time West Indies or the recent Australian team.
Despite many
ups and downs, the milestone of 500 tests is undoubtedly a great achievement,
especially with the rise of ' instant' cricket like ODI and T20. There have been
scandals, match fixings, personality clashes and other unsavoury incidents but
the sport withstood all vagaries and came out triumphant. Whether win or loss,
what matters is the spirit among players who play up to their potential.
India's Test
Cricketing history had been devastated teams, in the early years, with
individual brilliances - the facilities for the game and its offerings were
often poor and disappointing, reducing the players to unsung and unhonored
wretched, and struggling youngsters. Perhaps there was a need for the arrival
of Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi to change that scenario, and over the years, a
Gavaskar showed that class and dedicated aggression could win not only personal
rewards and values, but create value for a whole national team. But it is not
fair to just pinpoint some individuals as the
main centers for excellence and upbringing the game to this level, as
ultimately it is the TEAM that operated together to win laurels. This was ultimately proved under the
"naturally authoritarian" Dhoni, who took the Indian team to a
different level in the last few years.
Today, India
can look back at the slow and steady progress of its Cricketing abilities and
history, at the test level. Test match cricket in India has come a long way.
The galaxy of high quality cricketers have
adorned Indian cricketing scenario. One unfortunate development is the lack of
interest to watch the 5 day tests. Diminishing crowds at the stadium is matter
for concern. The attraction for shorter versions of cricket viz. one dayers and
T20 format pushed back the absolute need for test cricket. Aggressive players
like Sachin, Dhoni, Ganguly, Sehwag and Koli made the shorter versions interesting
with quick result orientation. Thus the taste for tests decreases gradually and
another five hundred target if any will be a herculean task in Indian cricket. Inclusive
formats of cricket makes test cricket to lose its shine since the cricket fans
with passion for five days listening is on the dwindling trend. But India could
shine in any form of cricket with fluctuating fortunes and will try to achieve
the next 500 as a gradual work.
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