The decider is an essential part of sport; it's what teams and individuals play for. Yet, rulers of the willow game ignore this vital aspect of competition; the current Test series is an example
NZ's James Neesham and Neil Wagner leave the field along with India's Cheteshwar Pujara and Virat Kohli during the Wellington Test on February 18, 2014. Pic/Getty Images
If cricket is a sport littered with ironies, here's another example: In the season of the much-talked-about World Test Championship which aims to give more impetus to the traditional game, India and New Zealand pad up for yet another illogical two-Test series; the number of games being too few for it to end up as a memorable contest.
It's astounding to discover that while past and present Test players go on about how Test match cricket is the real thing, there are not enough voices to condemn two-Test series which many a time don't provide an actual picture of dominance. The series which kicks off tomorrow will be the third time that both countries have agreed to a truncated contest in Kiwiland. There were two on Indian soil as well during the 2003-04 and 2012-13 seasons. India v New Zealand Test contests ought to be given more importance and these two-Test gigs border on the inconsequential.
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It's not the same as India v Bangladesh or India v Zimbabwe which have witnessed several two-Test series.
The decider is an essential part of sport; it's what teams and individuals play for. Yet, the rulers of the willow game ignore this vital aspect of competition.
My tennis buff friend equated two-Test cricket series to a two-setter game of tennis. It's as ridiculous!
The other problem is cricket lovers won't be able to see a batsman or bowler having a true impact on a series with just two Tests. And even a player who is quite used to that — Australia's Steven Smith — will end up being not fully satisfied simply because he's not had a big bite of the apple. Anything incomplete in sport is no good and the big names of cricket administration can have as many pink ball Tests as they want, but it won't help the sport if teams are given fewer Tests to compete in.
This particular tour of New Zealand has witnessed a five-match T20 series and three one-day internationals, but when it comes to Tests, only two! This is a clear case of being seduced by the short forms of the game (year of the T20 World Cup notwithstanding) and dishing out stepmotherly treatment to the real deal. Wonder what Test specialists like Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane and Ishant Sharma would feel.
Talking about Test cricket, it was interesting to read that Cricket Australia wanted India to play two pink ball Tests in their next series Down Under but the BCCI agreed to one.
Brisbane or Adelaide would host a pink ball Test and it would probably be prudent for the BCCI not to agree for the opening Test to be a pink ball contest, considering how little time international teams get to acclimatise before the first Test. Australia are more familiar with day-night Tests and they shouldn't even be suggesting something that would give them an unfair advantage.
At the same time, it is so heartening to read about Virat Kohli's bring-it-on attitude. He said: "It's [pink ball Tests] become a very exciting feature of any Test series and we're open to playing day-night Tests. We're ready and up for the challenge — whether it's Gabba, Perth...it doesn't matter to us, we have the skill set as a team now to compete against anyone in the world, anywhere, in any format of the game, whether it's white ball, red ball or pink ball, we're ready to play anything."
Back to the subject of two-Test series romps. India finish their quota for the on-going World Test Championship with the second Test at Christchurch while South Africa, Sri Lanka and Pakistan have to play three short series each.
Sri Lanka — where this two-Test series business started for India in 1997-98 (the series in which the islanders scored 952-6 declared, to displace England from the list of top totals) — would have played five of their six World Test Championship series on a two Tests per series basis.
While everyone involved in getting the World Test Championship on the road after several attempts, need to be given their share of kudos, the two-Test series occurrence must be examined and set right. Surely, the fans don't want to see this.
Ian Chappell, who has been the most vocal campaigner for a Test championship for the last three decades, won't be too unhappy seeing teams striving for one trophy which he has advocated for. Nevertheless, it will be safe to say he'd still be critical of the ICC and he'd still remember a conversation that took place at Auckland airport the day after Pakistan stunned New Zealand to enter the 1992 World Cup final.
Chappell was chatting with the then ICC chief Colin Cowdrey, his former Ashes rival. A Pakistani journalist who was with them, then asked Cowdrey if anyone had thought about a World Cup for Test cricket.
Cowdrey, according to Chappell in his book The Cutting Edge, replied in the negative and suggested to the Pakistani writer that one of his country's delegates to the ICC should propose it. Chappell, meanwhile, informed Cowdrey and the journalist that he had written a column on how a World Cup for Test cricket could work out. The journalist was very keen to read Chappell's formula and wanted to create a buzz on the Test World Cup himself while the ICC did nothing.
Chappell contrasted the ICC's approach to that of West Indian writer and commentator Tony Cozier, who asked Chappell's permission to reproduce the piece in his next edition of West Indies Cricket Annual. Sadly, Cozier's annual labour of love didn't see the light of day that year and the 1970 to 1991 tenure of the annual ended.
Meanwhile, all eyes will be on the opening day of India's ninth India v New Zealand away Test series. It's a pity there will be only two games. Ironically, the first of these series was a meatier one — four Tests with India winning 3-1 in 1967-68.
mid-day's group sports editor Clayton Murzello is a purist with an open stance. He tweets @ClaytonMurzello Send your feedback to mailbag@mid-day.com
The views expressed in this column are the individual's and don't represent those of the paper
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