The 28th of January turned out to become one of the most iconic days in the history of Test cricket. For a format that is thirsting for context and acknowledgement, riveting encounters bring it back to life.
In the Southern Hemisphere, an overlooked West Indies side crept their way to a phenomenal win over the number one test side in the world. Being 22 behind in the first innings, Australia declared to send a psychological message that the Windies aren’t good enough to beat them at their fortress. But they failed to take into account that this sport and this format is much more than skill. It’s about being resolute, putting up a fight and standing unwaveringly in front of challenges in conditions that require grit.
It is grit that brought Shamar Joseph up to the international level less than a year after being a security guard in some dead-beat village in the Caribbean. It is grit that allowed him to rip through the Australian batting line-up with an injured toe. It is grit that pushed him through the childhood filled with abject poverty and no contact with the external world. It is safe to say that the 24-year old has more than announced his arrival into Test Cricket, with a valiant 7-for to defend 215 and taking his team home.
On the other side of the globe, yet another Test match went right down to the wire. After trailing over 200 in the first innings, England’s Ollie Pope produced an innings poised with class. It was 196 runs of the highest order, showing confidence and defiance on a surface that was deteriorating by the hour. Pope came out with some incredible sweeps and innovative use of the feet, setting India a target of 230 to get with five sessions left in the game.
It was time for yet another come-back. Debutant Tom Hartley, who had been tonked by the Indian batsmen in the first innings, had some recovery to do. And boy did he deliver! It was almost as if it was a different bowler was bowling in the second innings, with the left-arm spinner hitting his areas with pin-point accuracy, turning the ball square on a deck that was suiting him a great deal. The Indians were found wanting against the turning ball, planting their foot and playing with their hands, unable to learn from Ollie Pope’s defiant innings. Another 7-for on the same day took England home, beating India by a kitten’s whisker of 28 runs in the last over of the fourth day.
These two games are proof that there’s nothing that tests the character of a cricketer as much as Test cricket. There is a reason it is named like that. Be it technique, patience, grit, fitness, and above all, focus, this format of the sport is the pinnacle for all cricketers.
Long live Test Cricket.
– Vibhor Dubey
The Average Cricketer 