Plain white cloths, a green and spotless terrain, a guy running in towards one end of a hard brown-greenish strip with a red and shining cherry in his hand and another guy on the other end waiting intently with a piece of wood. Apart from the ex-players only an innate lover of the game can relate to the charm and thrill.
After all the hoopla of World Cup and the IPL, Cricket returns to its earliest and the most transcendent form, where there are no limits, no power plays, no inner rings, no free hits or the insane indulgence of Mr. Duckworth and Mr. Lewis, instead, whats on offer is just pure, traditional, unadulterated Cricket. 5 days of mouthwatering scrimmage where the sides don't only have each other to fight against, but also the varying conditions over the 5-day span.
The ball may swing the other way a couple of sessions later, or may not, a green top may turn into a batting paradise and furthermore may even start allying the ball turners. A few hours rain and overcast conditions have the ability to come up with mysterious and mischievous conditions altogether. The wicket gets slower and lower as the games graduates from the 1st day to 5th day.
Its a matter of which side adapts to the changes better and displays competitive dexterity. A slight hint of languor, and you are vanquished.
Patience, stamina, skill, temperament, technique and most importantly the mental strength, every facet of a player is put through the Rockwell test. And the surviving people are hampions in their own right.
Let me cite a few examples.
A guy, leading his team, into the last innings of his largely illustrious career, negates the then most vicious combination of spinners almost throughout the day on a 5th day track, and scores a gritty half century while at it, to secure a draw, thus saving his team the embarrassment, that they had kept themselves eluded from for the last 18 yrs or so. At the end of it all, he was carried around on shoulders by his fellow teammates along the boundary lines and was cheered upon by the full capacity crowd present there. Can there be a better way to draw the checkered flag on one's two decade long career?
Another guy on the brink of his and the whole nation's first triple century, steps out to once the best spinner in the world, on a dusty wicket and pummels him over long on for maximum and achieving the feat.
And another guy, with a broken jaw, wraps it with a bandage, comes onto the field and successfully plots the fall of the world's greatest southpaw ever.
These are some of examples of the intrepidity, confidence and perseverance shown by a few of the countless practitioners of this form of the game. It not only brings out the inexplicable and hidden-in-the-darkest-corner qualities of a player but also of a human being.
True, the shorter formats have been the revenue generator for the game, especially the shortest one, they can never match up to the fetish and thrill Test Cricket is capable to generate. Once the deception of the soporific outlook is overcome, and the format is appropriately delved into, the next 5 days may even provide you with the adrenaline rush that you have been longing for to shed a few more pounds.
As I said, only an innate lover can comprehend, this post is dedicated to all the past and present champions, Sachin Tendulkar, the champion of champions and all the true worshipers of the game. :)
