Test cricket is at crossroads: Some patience and wisdom will help the format take the right turn

The existential angst that surrounds cricket these days is a fascinating phenomenon. The endless talk about the Nagpur wicket and the pink view emerging out of Adelaide represent the extremes that populate conversation in an era of hyperbole. For a game that started in the late 16th Century, it is naive to assume that it is dealing with an imminent fatal risk to its survival. Some of the reactions over the past few days have been over-the-top, to say the least. The pink ball is no messiah, just as much as the dusty patch in Nagpur wasn’t a death knell. There is a need for perspective all around as we start dealing with a fluid era in cricket, precipitated by the unparalleled success of T20 cricket. [caption id=“attachment_2526142” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  If anything is harming test cricket today, it is the lack of application among the batsmen of our generation. AP[/caption] On a difficult track for batting, South Africa’s capitulation in the first innings paved the way for another early end, leaving experts questioning the wisdom of using tracks tailored to suit the home team. Before we fall hook, line and sinker to the farcical outrage that is colouring our Twitter timelines, consider these facts. The 79 scored by South Africa on 25 November was the 100th instance of a team being bowled out for 80 runs or less. This is 28th instance of a low scoring innings, just this millennium. In fact, we seem hard pressed to remember that Australia were bundled for just 60 at Nottingham in August this year. That inning lastedless than 19 overs. If the increased frequency of these low scores is any indication, it appears to me that the people in need of the most reflection are batsmen. Test cricket isn’t about a normalised contest between bat and ball, with no real variables. It is in fact, the most challenging version of the great game, meant to test the mettle of both batsmen and bowlers under varying weather and ground conditions. We need to stop crowing about the pitch and start talking about application. Amidst the fracas surrounding the Nagpur test, the innings that was recalled most was Sunil Gavaskar’s farewell knock of 96 in Bengaluru, nearly three decades ago. On a minefield of a track at the Chinnaswamy stadium, Gavaskar waged a lone battle in the searing summer of 1987 to score an epochal 96. It was a career-defining effort under testing conditions in the face of a painful interrogation of character by Iqbal Qasim and Tauseef Ahmed, who were making the most of the treacherous pitch conditions. If anything is harming Test cricket today, it is the lack of application among the batsmen of our generation. Spoilt by the instant riches that are flowing from the unbridled success of the shortest version of cricket, the modern cricketer is breeding an attitude of contempt. Aggression is an essential ingredient for T20, but an expression of this virtue under Test cricket conditions is proving to be counterproductive to the player and game alike. Unlike the T20 format, Test cricket isn’t a constrained form of the game. The longer form of the game allows for freedom of expression, allowing the fielding team to control the game through intelligent changes of bowling and unrestrained field placements. The batsmen are expected to build patiently working their way session after session, negating the impact of bowlers and accumulating a score. It appears though that today’s batsmen are preoccupied with run rate and strike rate, things that are getting embedded into their psyche through their prolific involvement with the limited overs game. The day-night game in Adelaide has been a success, with crowds in excess of 40,000 flocking to the match between Australia and New Zealand. But expecting the pink ball to heal the wounded brains of batsmen is assuming that the disease can be cured by treating a symptom. Even in the Test in Nagpur, it was amply clear that many of the dismissals were a result of doubt and lack of confidence rather than sheer bowling wizardry. And this was true for both India and South Africa, with some of the batsmen guilty of playing loose under trying circumstances. Professional cricketers and the establishment alike need to look at Test cricket with an unfiltered lens and adapt methods accordingly. Test cricket demands character from its protagonists and unless the cricketers are willing to invest energy to apply their skills and construct innings, we will continue to have dismal performances that will drive away fans. The excitement that oozed out of Lord’s as Sri Lanka battled England in the first Test of their 2014 series is a reminder of the brilliance that the format can offer us. And the source of this excitement is neither the wicket nor the weather, but the grim application of players who value the national cap and everything it stands for.