Mid Pitch Ruminations

As we kick off the return of international cricket, here are a few of my thoughts before the upcoming Only Test for INDW and the WTC Final for INDM. While the writing may seem a little disconnected, these are just some ideas and opinions that could help put these matches into context.

The Impact of the Border Gavaskar Trophy 2020-21

I have slightly mixed opinions on what has been termed by the ICC, through popular vote, ‘the Ultimate Test Series.’ Australian presenter Mark Howard said that the Border Gavaskar Trophy was the perfect advertisement for test cricket – being one of the first Test series that I religiously watched, it was certainly something that drew my attention at 5 am every morning. I delved into superstitions of not moving when India batted and held my breath countless times during difficult spells. I still get goosebumps when I read or hear anything about the series and can be seen watching the last test match before every exam. Personally, I love a team playing for a gritty draw with everything on the line than going for a win. It may be an unpopular opinion, but the draw we fought for at the SCG was more gripping than the win at the Gabba!

The final at the Gabba was indeed the impetus test cricket needed in a generation brought up on T20 cricket. It was something more comfortable to watch simply because we novice cricket enthusiasts knew what could be done. We were equating the run rate since Lunch, looking at the fall of wickets, and making wild limited-over conclusions – but is this how test cricket needs to be consumed? Yes, I concede that this cricket is attractive – but is this the future of test cricket? These formats are different on a fundamental level. They have been established with the move of cricket towards franchise leagues and becoming more of a cultural phenomenon in what seems like cricket’s natural progression. Has the Gabba given a new audience of test cricket fans an unrealistic perspective on how test cricket is played?

I find myself unsure of the impact of this game as I watched the New Zealand tour of England 2021 unfold live. Nothing about these games seemed particularly exciting for an average T20 viewer. I saw live posts and comments on different cricket apps where people complained about the game’s slowness and expressed their desire for something to happen. This is a direct effect of tests like the Gabba – every game cannot be enthralling to the end. Often, one-sided matches need to be played for the sake of the game, where foregone conclusions are all but a surety. I enjoyed watching nothing happen very slowly and took comfort in seeing ball after ball being bowled for hours on end. With the likes of David Lloyd present, the English commentary was soothing and put me to sleep on many occasions! Yet, the match was criticized for not having ‘entertaining players.’ What does ‘entertaining’ even mean? Is this another expectation we are holding to red-ball players? In comparison, most of England’s test players are format specialists, with very few of them making a cut in all formats of the game.

In a format that is known for leaves, is the explosive T20 style of cricket really a savior? Are reverse scoops and sweeps the future of test match cricket? The evolving nature of test cricket is calling for more allrounders, or at least has present the expectation that everyone pitches in everywhere! In my spur to soak up as much cricket trivia as possible, I often find myself watching old matches and try to be part of the atmosphere around the game! I’ve fallen in love with the March 2001 Test match at the Eden Gardens against a dominant Australia side and have been scouring the internet for as much coverage of the event as possible! It is a thing of beauty to see Laxman bat with Dravid for a day – to see Harbhajan take a hattrick – and to see a large crowd in the stands! On that faithful 4^th day, there wasn’t a flashy six or a sublime boundary, but resilience from arguably one of the best test sides India has produced in its long history. This was a game free from the expectations we are maintaining with shorter formats of the game simply because such a format had not been invented yet! Every subsequent knock I saw – Dravid’s 233 (and 81), Ganguly’s debut at Lord’s, and Sehwag’s triple added a different characteristic to Test cricket. This format allows the game to go in any direction, and dare I say is far more unpredictable than any T20 game.

The BCCI’s shenanigans

Much of my disdain for T20 cricket has to come from the life it is sucking out of Test cricket. There is no better example of this preference with the BCCI officially asking the England Cricket Board to scrap or prepone an entire test match to accommodate the IPL. The English summer, known for the rains washing out test matches, has been dry of test cricket for a while now. With the decision to host the IPL, causing a reschedule in a bilateral tour and possible complications to an international competition (T20 world cup), the BCCI is just exposing itself to the international community as a politicized body bent on getting its way in all matters cricket. This hegemony created has prompted an almost unthinkable conversation – is the World Test Championship Final going to be one-sided for the wrong reasons? Are India Men going to face scrutiny if they win? The sanctity of the game is being affected by the aggressive actions of one national board, something I find incredibly disappointing.

But more than the lack of respect for international cricket, the BCCI’s antics with regards to India Women have left me troubled. The pay gap in Indian cricket has to leave you astonished! The central contract for the lowest grade of senior men is 1 crore – the highest grade of women, including our captains and vice-captains, is just 50 lakh! With the likes of Kohli and Bumrah sitting at the highest grade of 7 crores, with multiple sponsorship deals, why is the wealthiest cricket board in the world holding back? But more than this, slightly more intangible, is the atmosphere these women are made to play in. I recently saw our captain Mithali Raj on Instagram thanking the BCCI for hosting two test matches for them! 2! And thanking them for doing the only job they have! Vice-Captain Smriti Mandhana was overjoyed when she learned about 2 test matches in 1 year! An observation I made while looking at pre-game coverage is that the BCCI thinks that this is a significant achievement for them and feels the need to get our players to pander to them in the media. The only Test set to start on the 16^th marks a 7-year wait for test matches for this team, and here they need to express gratitude to a board for organizing 2. The conditions themselves – 4-day matches, on a county ground, and on an old pitch used for a T20 game recently are enough to know how seriously this format is taken.

A silver lining here is that the BCCI is getting more and more scrutiny for their actions, from independent writers to broadcasters to international players.

The Asian Century?

Moving away from what I fear is another rant about the BCCI, we must address the rise of Indian cricket on the international stage. With the heist in Australia, the domination at home against England, and being able to field two Indian squads for tours, India is well on its way to conquer every format worldwide. There is also merit in looking at the receding power of England and Australia in international cricket and what this could mean for the game.

Every series India plays is a sign of the move from the Anglo-Australian dominance cricket has been used to. Every move by the England Cricket Board (ECB) and Cricket Australia (CA) adds to this narrative. The glory that was Australia in the late 90s and early 2000s is fading away. It started with Sandpapergate, something the world is unlikely to forget soon and is bound to continue with the persistent team culture and ‘whatever it takes’ winning mentality the dressing room is subject to. Australia has a dearth of quality leadership – captains perpetuating a torrid team culture, setting bad examples on the field, and underperforming so consistently that it feels like they are one game close to being dropped. In my opinion, this scathing indictment of the system is all a chain reaction of the abuses hurled by captain Tim Paine at an injured R Ashwin as they played in Sydney. It was a true insight into what Aussie team culture is like, how new players may be groomed to sledge and do everything besides playing the game. The overconfidence they hold unraveled at the Gabba – their stubborn nature was evident when they called off the Tour of South Africa. While players under Ponting (and himself) were also abusive and often disrespectful, their style of playing and actions off the field were what made them the side they are remembered as. This is a tall order for the current generation.

England doesn’t seem to be taking any cricket seriously. Their rotation policy has fit, capable players been taken out of games and losing any rhythm at all – we saw this in India, and we saw an obscene amount of resting during the series with New Zealand. With a consistent lack of effort, excuses in the media, and no solid batting lineup, England are really not bringing anything to world cricket right now. With their idea of only preparing for the T20 world cup and the Ashes, so many series in between will slip through their fingers. The utter disrespect they showed to New Zealand in the first test with absolutely no intent in chasing the total or showing up to the second test with effectively their B side is indicative of their approach to cricket that they don’t consider important enough. I am waiting for India’s tour of England come July to gauge whether the ECB is really concerned about the way the team is perceived.

I am extremely happy to see neither team making it to the WTC Final – regardless of India making it to the finals, in the most unbiased way possible, it is time for the Anglo-Australian sphere of influence to end.

Exciting tests to come?

Test matches this week will see me consume almost 8 hours of cricket a day for 7 days, as the women’s and men’s games run from Wednesday onwards. It was disappointing to have days clash for the test, but I think we can all just take what we can get here! I haven’t seen INDW ever play test cricket since I didn’t understand test cricket the last time they played! However, I think I know enough to predict the outcome of the WTC Final: rain!

Well, those are my thoughts on the state of cricket in the prelude to exciting English summer starting this Wednesday! I urge you to comment on whether you agree or disagree with my views! Do follow this blog so you get updates whenever I post!