If you like history,tune yourself into the rosy past of 19th century and imagine yourself to be one of them,who wore white clothes and played a game using a red cherry and a wooden timber.Yes,the origin of the game traces to way back in 19th century,when white people played the game in their leisure time.No one then would have ever thought that this game will come so far,but from Timeless Test matches to T20 Cricket,it has evolved and successfully completed 130 years of it's existence.But, even after so many years and in spite of fast moving world,Test Cricket still fascinates one and all and the reasons for it are:
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| Test Cricket of 1880's |
(1)The Conditions,the Toss and Team Combination:-
The conditions play a very crucial role as far as Test Cricket is concerned.The conditions include the state of pitch and atmospheric conditions viz sunny,overcast and so on.Just as conditions play a very huge role,toss too has an overall impact on the end result of the Test match.When a certain captain wins the toss,he has to assess the conditions before taking any decision as his decision can benefit his team a great deal on the first morning itself.Imagine,a captain opts to field after winning the toss and his bowlers respond with five wickets in morning session itself.In such a scenario,bowling team is clearly in the driver's seat.But now considering the negative side of it,suppose his decision is backfired and opposition team piles on the runs in first innings,then,indeed the advantage of winning the toss is lost and bowling team may remain under pressure during the course of the match.Thus,this indicates that toss factor depending upon the conditions has a big part to play in Test Cricket unlike limited overs cricket where conditions predominantly remain the same throughout the match.Similarly,the 22-yard pitch undergoes a lot of change throughout the course of five match days and players need to be efficient enough to cope up with it.The sun,the cloud cover,the rain all have an impact on the nature of the pitch.Moreover,the wicket deteriorates as the time progresses.Moving our attention from the pitch to team combinations,the term 'Specialist' is significant in Test Cricket and not 'all-rounder' which has a higher value in limited overs cricket.Save some names,all-rounders don't fit into the scheme of things when it comes to Test Cricket and always 'Specialists' are given importance.Wicket-Keeping is no mean job in Test Cricket and always well-trained,professional wicket-keepers are given preference.Specialist wicket-keepers are highly respected when it comes to Test Cricket and their performance behind the stumps has it's own impact on the end result.Thus no push-overs are entertained for wicket-keeping unlike what is being done in limited overs cricket.
(2)Batting:-
"Give the first hour to the bowlers and next five hours will be yours"-the quote by legendary batsman Sunil Gavaskar is indeed apt as far as batting in Test Cricket is concerned.Batting in Test Cricket demands immense level of concentration,determination,patience,passion and temperament.You have to play each ball according to it's merit and there are no easy runs.With a sporting pitch,good bowlers,long boundaries and no restrictions on field and number of overs a bowler can bowl,it is a test of your character as a batsman.As a batsman,you should have perseverance and hunger to combat difficult situations where runs are hard to come by and when you are on the back foot.The next major challenge for a Test batsman is to be able to bat in all conditions and against different and diverse bowling attacks.Traditionally,the batsmen from sub-continent find it hard to perform in fast,bouncy and swinging conditions while batsmen from England,Australia and South Africa don't deliver the goods when they play spin on the turning tracks.
Thus,in order to succeed at the highest level,you should be technically solid and temperamentally sound and you should be clever enough to fine tune your technique to suit the given conditions and given bowling attack.Only those batsmen who can play well in foreign conditions are regarded as good batsmen and for that ,you must be well equipped and efficient in all respects.Thus,all these qualities makes the Test batsman a class apart as compared to batsmen in limited overs cricket where the conditions are tailor-made for batting.
(3)Bowling:-
Who says Cricket is a batsman's game? you can't win a Test match unless you take those 20 wickets.The above sentence itself describes the importance of a bowling unit in Test Cricket.Main challenge for a bowler in Test Cricket is to keep himself fit ,energetic and enthusiastic as he has to bowl long spells.An another important thing is to have that intent going on and the bowler should be able to give his 100% every time he bowls.The major difference between Test Cricket and limited overs Cricket is that,there is no contention-like thing in Test Cricket and you have to look for taking wickets all the time.
An ordinary bowler may come good in ODI's,but he will be completely exposed and severely punished in Test Cricket.As a Test bowler,patience is the key to success and you must stick to your basics.Bowlers should not get frustrated when the things aren't going their away and must adhere to their line and length and must continue to execute their plans.Only,the proper Test bowlers have a high success rate and any emerging bowler must try to make himself a proper Test bowler .He must develop himself so as to be able to take wickets at any point of time,irrespective of the conditions and the quality of the batsman.As far as fast bowler is concerned,he must be equipped with all the armoury like swing,reverse swing and must be clever enough to use the old ball as well.Moreover,there are no easy wickets for bowlers in Tests as batsmen are more conservative and avoid playing rash strokes.Thus,bowlers must bend their backs and produce wicket taking deliveries so as to break the defenses of well-set batsmen.Hence,all the above description clearly indicates how rigorous the bowling can be in Test Cricket and it speaks about enormous talent and will-power that a bowler must possess to succeed at the Test level.
Nasty Stuff
(4)Captaincy,Coaching and Support Staff:-
"Captaincy is 90% luck and 10% skill ,but never ever try it if you don't have 10% skill"- a quote by Richie Benaud is indeed apt.Captaincy,especially in Test Cricket is challenging,because as a captain,you must be proactive and the decisions on and off-the field have a great impact on the end result.In Tests,you can't play a waiting game for too long and captain-as a leader of the team must make things happen.Many a times,during long hours on the field,fielders start dropping their shoulders and captain,in such a scenario should inspire his team-mates and rejuvenate them with a new hope.After a heavy loss,captain has to accept it's responsibility and then he has to shoulder a bigger responsibility of rebuilding and reorganizing his team and we all know how difficult it is to bounce back after a Test match or a series loss.Moreover,coach and captain have to formulate plans before entering into a Test match and captain has to manage his troops so that the pre-planned operations are executed.You know,a lot of planning goes into the Test match with planning of dismissals and forming and defining new strategies,singling out each and every opposition player and coach is the man in charge to do so.Also,coach has to ensure that all his players do the homework well and are clear with a definite approach towards the Test match.
The other major factor that players have to come across in a Test match is mental ability.In this regard,members of support staff play an integral role.Test Cricket is a hard game which not only drains you physically but also mentally and you should be mentally strong to deliver the goods.During anxious moments,it is more of a battle of nerves than between bat and ball.Thus,as a Test Cricketer,mental toughness is what you must possess to become successful.It is a true Test of your character.
Finally,from my perspective,Test Cricket resembles Life.Just as our life,Test Cricket has longevity and Test Cricket offers various challenges at different instants of time throughout the course of five match days.You have to go through all those rigorous moments,disciplinary drills,painful setbacks,emotional occasions and then,ultimately,you are bestowed with success and in the midst of all this,your true character is at stake.All such situations are indeed analogous to real life challenges and this is the reason why TEST CRICKET ROCKS!!!
*LONG LIVE TEST CRICKET*
(2)Batting:-
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| Gavaskar-pillar of Concentration |
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| Richards-Fight fire with fire |
(3)Bowling:-
Who says Cricket is a batsman's game? you can't win a Test match unless you take those 20 wickets.The above sentence itself describes the importance of a bowling unit in Test Cricket.Main challenge for a bowler in Test Cricket is to keep himself fit ,energetic and enthusiastic as he has to bowl long spells.An another important thing is to have that intent going on and the bowler should be able to give his 100% every time he bowls.The major difference between Test Cricket and limited overs Cricket is that,there is no contention-like thing in Test Cricket and you have to look for taking wickets all the time.
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| West Indies Pace Battery of 1980's-Roberts,Holding,Croft,Garner |
(4)Captaincy,Coaching and Support Staff:-
"Captaincy is 90% luck and 10% skill ,but never ever try it if you don't have 10% skill"- a quote by Richie Benaud is indeed apt.Captaincy,especially in Test Cricket is challenging,because as a captain,you must be proactive and the decisions on and off-the field have a great impact on the end result.In Tests,you can't play a waiting game for too long and captain-as a leader of the team must make things happen.Many a times,during long hours on the field,fielders start dropping their shoulders and captain,in such a scenario should inspire his team-mates and rejuvenate them with a new hope.After a heavy loss,captain has to accept it's responsibility and then he has to shoulder a bigger responsibility of rebuilding and reorganizing his team and we all know how difficult it is to bounce back after a Test match or a series loss.Moreover,coach and captain have to formulate plans before entering into a Test match and captain has to manage his troops so that the pre-planned operations are executed.You know,a lot of planning goes into the Test match with planning of dismissals and forming and defining new strategies,singling out each and every opposition player and coach is the man in charge to do so.Also,coach has to ensure that all his players do the homework well and are clear with a definite approach towards the Test match.
The other major factor that players have to come across in a Test match is mental ability.In this regard,members of support staff play an integral role.Test Cricket is a hard game which not only drains you physically but also mentally and you should be mentally strong to deliver the goods.During anxious moments,it is more of a battle of nerves than between bat and ball.Thus,as a Test Cricketer,mental toughness is what you must possess to become successful.It is a true Test of your character.
Finally,from my perspective,Test Cricket resembles Life.Just as our life,Test Cricket has longevity and Test Cricket offers various challenges at different instants of time throughout the course of five match days.You have to go through all those rigorous moments,disciplinary drills,painful setbacks,emotional occasions and then,ultimately,you are bestowed with success and in the midst of all this,your true character is at stake.All such situations are indeed analogous to real life challenges and this is the reason why TEST CRICKET ROCKS!!!
*LONG LIVE TEST CRICKET*
Test Cricket will never ever die.................
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