A triumphant return of the Gentleman's Game

It has been two days since India made history at the Gabba, the fortress of Australian Cricket and we still have the hangover. Bloggers ,Youtubers, Cricketing legends, TV channels and even India's Cricketing rival Pakistan is waxing lyrical about the Gabba Test win and the series win by India. No doubt this is a historic achievement (it took 32 years for a team win against Australia at this iconic Cricketing ground). People may say that Cricket is just a sport, and this is just another win, but this win is special and very emotional. Stuff that causes a lasting hangover for billions of Indians…

Like many of my friends, I had given up on Cricket. Too many T20's, and too much in-your face type of Cricket had jaded me. This win shook me out of my lethargy as I realized the enormity of this David vs Goliath story. In this story, it is not a plucky David who takes on the sluggish but fearsome Goliath. This is a David that is bruised, battered, written off, lampooned on social media, quarantined (out of practice), and judged constantly by 1.3 billion Cricket-crazy countrymen. And on the other side, the Goliath is at the height of his powers, and in his backyard with history of winning. This was an epic battle.

Being disinterested, I had skipped the first 2 tests and was late to the party. India’s disastrous 36 run collapse in the Adelaide test, and their bounce back to win the second Test at Melbourne, seemed like normal ups and downs of a Cricket series. My interest in the series really peaked on the 5th day of the 3rd Cricket test at Sydney. A whirlwind 97 from Rishab Pant was reminiscent of the T20's but then he had waited, defending 30 plus balls to open up his stroke play, this showed a quiet resolve. The stoic attitude of late order batsmen Ashwin and Vihari , both injured, yet turning up to play showed passion and fervour. Blocking everything that was thrown at them and surviving torrid sessions of fast bowling showed resilience.  The 3rd Test was a Draw, but was celebrated as if it was a win. Test Cricket was beginning to weave its magic.

Then the stories of the young Cricketers unravelled, we discovered stories of impossible odds. Many of these young Cricketers had faced far bigger battles in their lives to make it to the Indian squad. Natarajan fought poverty, Siraj- Poverty, and the death of his father during the series, Sundar Washington was named after the person who bought him his Cricket gear.  Many of these young cricketers were ridiculed on media, their place in the Indian team constantly questioned, and were written of by experts. In this David-Goliath story, David really had to beat impossible odds to just be able to come face-to-face with Goliath let alone battle him. These heart-warming tales circulating in the media enhanced the excitement of the series. 

The 4th Test at the famed Gabba at Brisbane amplified everything that happened in the 3rd Test at Sydney. The 5 wicket haul of Siraj, The resilience of Shardul and Sundar , the fabulous stroke play of Gill and Pant were exciting no doubt. But it is the mammoth 200 plus ball defence from Pujara who bore the brunt of the attack, took body blows and just stood steadfast to let others do the scoring – this was the epitome of the Test Cricket. As I watched the final overs on the 5th day with bated breath, I remember Rahane’s expressions on TV. India’s stand-in captain, always calm, was pulling on his beard ever so slightly while everyone was wound up like a spring. They were watching history in the making. When the final runs were struck by Pant, it was an eruption of joy and disbelief.

So yes, Cricket is just a game, but the story of this win is a great underdog story. An intensely emotional one for Cricket crazy Indians. Kids coming out of poverty, picked for India, going on as substitutes onto the final eleven, debuting against a world class side, showing grit in the face of impossible odds, and defying all the experts and winning - these are stuff that fairy tales are made of.

The loud, bluster, bravado and instant results of the T20 and ODI formats has made us forget the beauty Test Cricket. And millions of youngsters playing in every corner of the country will look at this display of grit, quiet stoicism, restraint, and controlled aggression learn character and temperament needed for long haul, and they will look at the fearless young cricketers and think "I too can do it"- the magic of Test Cricket is back in our lives.

Indian Team celebrate in Brisbane on January 19, 2021.  A screen grab of the BCCI Photo