Test Match Cricket

I am a great fan of cricket in general and classic test match cricket in particular. Test matches can be quite dull at times but with the introduction of the new 90 overs per day rule, the game has become very aggressive and very often we see a result by the end of 4th day. The thing that excites me most in test cricket is the mind games that the captain and the bowler plays to out fox the opposing team. The subtle change in field placements, a change in the bowler or a go at the batsman's patience using various tactics make the game very intersting to watch. (If you watch it intently and follow what the skipper is trying to do that is). It is the classic edition of the cricket and in my opinion this form of the game will survive all the tides of time.




I still recall my childhood days when there were 2 may be 3 series played in a year and the only way to follow your team was through radio commentary or the newsprint. I used to have an album of photos from various newspapers, cut from our own copy, from the neighbour's copy and at times from the 'raddi' that the local shopkeeper had to wrap the groceries. It was fun. The radio commentary brought with it the commentators who could paint the picture for the listeners using their vivid imagination and word play. I got my first cricket book from a petrol pump as a free gift and the most important part of that book was the field placements. That map was the reference while listening to the commentary till I memorised the various positions.

The history of test match cricket is replete with some great rivalries like the Ashes series, the India-Pakistan series or the India-Australia encounters off late. I will write about some that I like the most in my next post.