Deserving champions

As per skipper Pat Cummins, the Australian team is on “one big tour with two huge titles to play for” and, for them, it was “good to tick the first one off.” The World Test Championship (WTC) has now completed two seasons over four years, with two cricketing nations from down south — New Zealand and Australia — defeating a common opponent India to lay their hands on the ICC WTC trophy. While the WTC final may be branded as an ultimate feat in Test cricket, for Australians, the romance with Ashes still holds greater value. The WTC title is a stepping stone for them as they are set to enter the fierce Ashes contest in a couple of days. Australia’s impressive run in Test cricket over the past two years — reflected by the stats that show they lost just three of the 19 Tests during the period — received well-deserved capping in the form of their maiden WTC title. As the Australians start their Ashes contest at Edgbaston in a few days, the ICC WTC trophy will certainly boost their confidence. Contrary to the easy win against India in the one-off WTC final, Australians are well-aware of how challenging it has been for them to win the Ashes, particularly in the away series. The last time that Australia won an Ashes tournament in England was in 2001. Crowned as ‘champions’ in Test cricket now, they must be eager to end the two-decade-long wait. For the Indian team, the second successive defeat in the WTC final has been embarrassing, to say the least. If Australians were playing the WTC final with forthcoming Ashes in mind, Team India hardly got any time lapse after the extensive, fast-paced IPL. After the crushing defeat at the hands of Australia, Team India coach Rahul Dravid highlighted similar issues. Despite being an equally competent team, India didn’t seem to be in a contest at any point in the match. Before one gets to the team performance, the planning and team selection seemed out of place. From Indian stalwarts of Sachin Tendulkar’s stature to Australian legends Ricky Ponting and Steve Vaugh, all have pointed out the loopholes in planning and team selection. The exclusion of ever-efficacious Ashwin, who has the reputation of delivering even under non-conducive spin conditions, baffled Tendulkar and others. Also, it was dishearteningly ironic to note that a Test icon like Ajinkya Rahane had to rely on a couple of hammering IPL knocks to find his place in the WTC squad! Shubhman Gill’s inclusion, too, was tempted by his IPL tons. If indeed IPL be the yardstick of Test selection, the debacles like the one at the Oval could become a common occurrence. It appears that the opacity and arrogance-like attitude with which the Indian cricket administration has been functioning lately has started to affect the team’s performance on the ground. Furthermore, it is perhaps time to question the leadership of Rohit Sharma. The failed captain found the wrong time to question the venue and the timing of the event. Though his questions may hold some merit, they are propping up just after a crushing defeat bears the semblance of an inappropriate justification. His articulation that a one-off Test may not be a fair opportunity for both teams appears misplaced. The greatest sports competitions have always been like this. It appears more than demanding to seek time to “get into that rhythm” for Test cricket. The greatness of the game lies in adapting quickly to adverse conditions and emerging victorious, rather than seeking solace in ifs and buts. The fact is that Team India failed at the WTC final, and there could hardly be any justification that can fill the void. In the absence of Aswin who could have proved formidable against the five left-handers in the Australian side, the first and most definitive failure was the collective inability of the Indian bowling attack in preventing Australia from putting up a massive total in the first innings, particularly on a pitch like Oval. The second and more certain failure came on the part of top-order Indian batsmen in both innings. Indeed, we witnessed some limited good performances in both bowling and batting, but such flashes of brilliance are good enough to win an IPL match, not the more demanding and delicate version of Test cricket. Irrespective of the gameplay of the Indian side, Australians played it like a champion, deserving full credit for their glorious victory. India should now start planning deeply for the ODI World Cup while Australians are up for quenching their two-decade-long thirst for Away Ashes.