What a beginning!

From Boxing Day (December 26) till the end of the first week in the New Year, good old Test cricket has thrown up beautiful results around the globe — giving the new ICC Test Championship rankings a different spin.

Undoubtedly, minnows Bangladesh defeating New Zealand away from home has become the talking point. Ebadot Hussain, the fast-bowling sensation is now a well-known name, following his exploits against current world Test champions — New Zealand. The strapping fast bowler's six-wicket spell in the second innings was truly captivating at Mount Maunganui.

For those who have followed Ebadot, he has been around for a short while though his transformation into a match-winner was worth watching. In a recent interview to a

website, Ebadot spoke of how watching James Anderson was a lesson for him. Needless to mention, Anderson the legend offers a lesson and treatise to many in the art of fast bowling, where nagging accuracy, giving away few runs and throttling the batsmen are the template.

There is talk, time and again, of how people are losing interest in Test cricket. However, the way in which the three series, played at almost the same time around the world — Australia, New Zealand and South Africa — have kept fans engrossed is a reminder that each format of the game is there to stay. Of course, for Bangladesh to win away from home in New Zealand will rank on the top for a while.

Down under, where tennis ace Novak Djokovic, a known anti-vaxxer, landing in Melbourne and being denied entry into the country has grabbed premium space in media and social media, cricket has been side lined. Beating Australia at home is tough, they say. Yet, for the Englishmen to get wiped out in the Ashes series has become a big joke.

The rivalry between England and Australia on the cricket field has been as famous as that between India and Pakistan. It is altogether another matter that India and Pakistan do not play bilateral series any longer, given the political climate. Likewise, England versus Australia is supposed to bring out the best from the players for the people who pay to watch these contests.

England are sore losers, whatever be the sport. To say that the reactions back home are one of outrage would be an understatement. Critics and former cricketers have torn apart their team. The 100 format is being blamed and so is the lack of planning in England. All this will continue for a while.

Keeping these results in perspective, one has to rewind to 2021, where Indian Test cricket produced fantastic results, first in Australia and then in England. Winning in Australia is indeed conquering the final frontier, and what India achieved at Gabba in January 2021 stays fresh in memory.

After losing to New Zealand in the ICC World Test Championship final, India then produced amazing results against the hosts in England. India led 2-1 in the series before the final Test was cancelled due to the Indian team suffering a major breach in the Bio Bubble.

India are currently in South Africa and the three-Test series is tied 1-1. Dean Elgar almost single-handedly stole the show for South Africa in the second match, though the talking point has been about the churning in Indian cricket. A whole lot of things went wrong for Team India, before the players flew out of Mumbai.

Virat Kohli versus the BCCI has become a topic of intense debate. To be leading the side now in just one format, Kohli knows he is under scrutiny — needlessly. The flow of runs has dried up from his blade, yet there is no mistaking his leadership skills, something which he has mastered over the years. If India won the first Test in SA, it was due to Kohli's captaincy, KL Rahul's century and the performance from the fast bowlers.

On the first morning of the second Test, Kohli had to pull out of the Test due to a back spasm. For someone who prioritises his fitness, a back spasm may sound worrying. Maybe, in the good old days of Indian cricket, the captain could have still played. These days, there is nothing like concealing an injury or niggle. One has to be 100 per cent fit before the match. What happens on the field, in the form of an injury or twisted ankle, is unfortunate.

Weighed against this backdrop, minus Kohli and Rohit Sharma who was ruled out for the entire series in SA, Indian cricket was caught in a dilemma. It was nice to see KL Rahul being presented with the Test cap. He is the choice for the future, but the lessons learnt from the defeat in the second Test will be valuable.

To be sure, the future of Indian Test cricket is bright. It is not that minus Kohli and Rohit this side looks pedestrian on paper. There are problem areas, and more of it has to do with the middle order batting not clicking. Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara, constantly under the radar of criticism for not scoring runs, may have escaped for the time being. Their value and utility abroad need to be underlined but one does feel bad for Shreyas Iyer who, despite a century on debut in Kanpur, sits on the bench.

The Indian bowling in the first innings of the second Test was a stellar show from Shardul Thakur. To say he stole the show would be stating the obvious. The bigger story is about how the Indian fast bowling unit has grown from strength to strength. For long, India was the land which produced magical spinners like Bishan Bedi, Prasanna, Venkat and Chandrashekhar.

Today, as the new generation familiarises itself with Kapil Dev and his exploits in the 1983 World Cup, thanks to the movie '83', people have a fair idea of what that win was, against all odds. The movie has a fair bit of fiction in it as well, yet, if viewed from the prism of old scorecards, videos and newspaper articles, what India achieved at the Lords 39 years ago was historic.

Kapil was the hero no doubt, but the way the medium fast bowlers like Mohinder Amarnath, Roger Binny and Madan Lal delivered in that World Cup was legendary stuff.

After Kapil, there seemed a void in terms of India producing quality fast bowlers. Compared with the battery of fast bowlers which Pakistan was producing, led by Imran Khan and Wasim Akram, the Indian fast bowling attack was meek.

Javagal Srinath, Zaheer Khan and, much later, Ishant Sharma burst onto the scene and showed India could also produce fast bowlers. It's no secret India today has one of the most explosive fast bowling attacks in the world. Mohammad Shami, the master of movement, with the seam up, has crossed 200 Test wickets. Jasprit Bumrah, now elevated as Test vice-captain has delivered 100 Test wickets in quick time.

Add to it the variety in the form of Shardul Thakur and Mohd Siraj, both capable of letting the red cherry fly at over 140 kmph. The Indian fast bowling unit is a delight to watch. Credit for this should go to the bowlers as well as skipper Kohli, who has backed his pace battery. He has instilled in them aggression, ability to bounce against batsmen and also make them uncomfortable. If Bumrah has speed plus bounce which can rattle the best batsmen on any wicket, Siraj and Shardul can outfox with their slower deliveries.

Indeed, this kind of fast-bowling weaponry is something the world fears today. The third Test will be crucial in South Africa. If India wins it, there will be history in the making. As for those who worry about Kohli the Test captain, he has nothing more to prove. The new role will be to play purely as a batsman under KL Rahul in the ODIs.

Interesting times, indeed.

Views expressed are personal