Quaintly vintage

For those bored of seeing too much instant cricket, the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy series, comprising four Tests, is the perfect fix. It’s a bit like coffee drinkers, you can choose to have instant variety or the stronger and richer blend for which you pay more. Either way, the coffee may be the same in marketing terms, but not for the consumer.

These days, you have the option of choosing what cricket you want to watch, literally. Sample this, the BGT Series, as the Test series has been named, is happening at the same time as the ICC World T20 for women in South Africa, where the Indians are also competing. It is an embarrassment of choices. You can watch Test cricket in the day, red ball, and the women compete late evening under the full glare of the arc lights.

Purists and old-timers, a dying breed, still feel white-ball cricket is boring! Well, that may be an exaggeration as the age and time we live in today restricts our attention span in many walks of life. This is the age of instant stuff, instant results. This generation may loath to slog like before, yet there are no short-cuts, really.

Likewise, the BGT Series, named after two of the best Test cricket batsmen and captains of their times, Allan Border and Sunil Gavaskar, offers plenty. A bit of history is needed to put things in perspective. The rivalry between India and Australia has been on for a very long time, almost since the time India broke free from the British Raj in 1947. So many series have taken place after that; cricket fever peaks during this series.

For those who have followed Test cricket over the decades, India versus Australia has always been rich in flavour, testing each day and competitive in every aspect. A few years ago, one could have talked of how India versus Pakistan brought out the best in each other. Given the geopolitics and the terror factory that Pakistan as a State has become, it is impossible to think of a bilateral series between the two neighbours. The Indian government is rightly emphatic that there is no way an India versus Pakistan series can be held. It’s altogether a different matter the teams could run up playing each other in an ICC event or an ACC event. More of that will be discussed in 2023 as India will host the ICC World Cup at home.

In the absence of an India versus Pakistan traditional rivalry in cricket, the India versus Australia Test series is fiercely contested. There are games on the field, mind games being played, and the Aussies now crib more than ever before. By the time you read this piece, three days of action will be complete in the first Test at Nagpur. The larger picture is how the two captains, Rohit Sharma and Pat Cummins, lead their sides through four Tests. To say there is a lot at stake would be stating the obvious. For the sheer volume of cricket played, it gets hard, sometimes, to remember what happened when.

However, even Millennials will recall that the last series in Australia, two years ago, was one of the best ever where India showed great character and won. The last Test in Brisbane, Gabbatoir as it is nicknamed, produced something classic. It brought the Aussies down to their knees where coach Ravi Shastri and stand-in captain Ajinkya Rahane demonstrated that despite a “weak” playing 11, they had soldiers who would fight.

If memories from the last Test in Australia two years ago are being invoked, there is a reason. It was one of the most motivational Test series and tested the true character of the Indians. It showed the Indians were brave-hearts. That one factor alone has made the Aussies — past and present — wary of this series. Someone like Ian Botham may be tweeting about how the Ashes in England this summer is a sell-out. He has not been to India for long. Today, an Indian versus Australia series has the whole world watching. For the Aussies, a win in India is the Final Frontier.

To predict the series result in the BGT Series is fraught with risks. The two sides have their shortcomings, weaknesses and injury issues. So, no side is in full force, though the Aussie batting comprising Steve Smith, David Warner, Marnus Labuschagne and Usman Khwaja is fierce. Their boot camp in the outskirts of Bengaluru was preparation in right earnest, perhaps, better than a practice match.

There is a worry, rather fear, for the Aussies, as to how India will prepare tracks which will assist the spinners. All this is needless worry, for cricket is played in the middle. The moment you have so many doubts on track, turn and twists, you have lost it. For those who have seen the way the Aussies play cricket in the past, they are not the best in terms of behaviour. They are the pioneers in sledging, pioneers in playing hard cricket as well. This series should demonstrate how much more they have learnt to play spin, as their focus has been on sweep, pull and so on. It’s unlike the old days, when batsmen (now batters) used their feet to tackle spinners.

Negatives for India are the absence of two key players, Rishabh Pant and Jasprit Bumrah. Pant, alone, could have been a great factor, given his batting skills in Test and how he needles the rivals with his chatter. There have been many Aussie wicket-keepers in the past as well who used to do it well. So, Pant’s absence may suit the Aussies. The young man had the blessing of billions to survive a high-speed crash recently. Sadly, Bumrah’s back injury has been serious and not made out to be that simple in terms of rest, rehab and recovery.

One has to move on. Both teams have to play with the resources available. Captaincy will be a big Test for both the men — Pat Cummins and Rohit Sharma. Rohit is leading at home and knows what the pressure is. He played “limited” Test cricket in 2022 and his leadership skills and own batting will matter in this series. At stake is a slot in the ICC World Test Championship finals to be played this summer at The Lords in June. The Aussies are already ahead in the race, so India need to be firing on all cylinders.

One has to go back to some great moments from the past cricket series between these two arch rivals. If Border was Shortie, his nickname, as a batter he was solid and a tactical captain. Gavaskar was so rich, the more you talk of it, the more nostalgic you get. If one talks of greatest battles, current coach Rahul Dravid (180) and VVS Laxman’s (281) epic battle at the Eden Garden in Calcutta, now Kolkata over two decades ago, was sensational. This one partnership (376 runs) between two purists of Test cricket defined how India eventually fought for a series victory at that time with Sourav Ganguly as leader.

Many series after that have seen full-blown rivalries, more so when a certain Ricky Ponting was leader. One also cannot forget the series in Australia in 2007-08, famous for the “Monkeygate” controversy when Anil Kumble was the captain and Harbhajan Singh was important. Today, one man who instils fear in the Aussies is R Ashwin. They are scared of the Chennai man, his variety, his mind games and how he can produce so much variety. All kinds of contests between Ashwin and the Aussie batters have been predicted. With the return of Ravindra Jadeja in the side, the Indians will be competitive. However, the key is the duration of the series, it’s a long one. To sustain pressure and win, that will be the key.

If some people still think Test cricket is boring, please tune in to the BGT Series!

Away, in South Africa, the women will attempt to create a mark in the ICC World Cup (T20). After the under-19 Indian team’s victory, the energy is high. The Indian women are fierce but to compete against Australia is so challenging. In addition to this World cup, all eyes will also be on the Women’s IPL for which the auction takes place soon. It is good to see more cricket for the women and franchises ready to splurge money.

India leads the way as far as commerce in cricket goes. If the Indian Premier League (IPL) began as an experiment in 2008 and is now a template for the world, the women’s league will also be rich. After all, people are predicting it could get hotter in India than the BBL — Big Bash League! For all those who complained of women’s cricket being neglected, there is no room for criticism now. Even former champions like Mithali Raj and Jhulan Goswami have found their next assignment in the women’s league!