Save Test cricket before it's too late

Recently, on Day 3 of the fourth and final Test between India and England at the newly-built Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) felicitated a short-statured man on the 50th anniversary of his Test debut.

It was none other than Sunil Manohar Gavaskar, who is widely regarded as one of the greatest cricketers of all-time. India's batting mainstay during the 1970s and the 1980s, Gavaskar made his debut on 6 March 1971, exactly 50 years ago, against the mighty West Indies at Port of Spain. The 'Little Master' went on to break and create many records in his international career that spanned 16 years. No batsman has ever scored 774 runs in his first Test series and, 50 years on, the record stays intact. He was the first player to amass 10,000 runs in Test cricket, a milestone that stayed with him for six years. 

The topic of discussion here is not Gavaskar's batting prowess. On the same day and at the same venue where he was felicitated on the 50th anniversary of his Test debut, India won the fourth and final Test match against England by an innings and 25 runs to clinch the series 3-1 and qualified for the final of the World Test Championship. All's well that ends well, but when a match lasts only two or three days, does it augur well for Test cricket!

India won the fourth Test inside three days while the third Test lasted only two days. One can argue that it needs only 40 balls to finish off a Test match. Let's get such silly arguments out of the way and address the growing fear that the traditional format of the game is in danger of dying a silent death. 

ICC's action plan

The decline in popularity of Test matches in the face of competition from limited-overs games is something obvious. Test cricket doesn’t make the money the shorter formats like Twenty20 make. T20 leagues, that generate a lot of revenue and attract spectators of all ages, have popped up all over the place and have suddenly become the most lucrative form of cricket. That could be the reason why the International Cricket Council (ICC) has made a proposal to reduce the length of Test matches to four days. Even there have been suggestions to make it a three-day affair. The proposal to shorten Test matches by a day has been met with strong opinions from both sides of the divide. 

The England-South Africa series in 2019-20, which the former won by 3-1, strengthened the call to retain five-day Tests.  After that fascinating series, cricket experts and a large section of players started speaking at length, and often enthusiastically, why Test cricket is the ultimate. However, the ICC, the world governing body of the game, was not fully convinced. What forced the ICC to put the idea of four-day Tests in the back-burner, for the time being at least, was the fiercely-fought Test series between India and Australia recently. 

When India toured Australia, Test cricket was facing many challenges that threatened the very existence of the format. Fortunately, the four-match series, which the visiting Indians won by 2-1, showed the value of the five-day format and did the five-day game itself a great favour as ended the discussions on the idea of four-day Tests for a while. Moreover, it rekindled the diminishing interest for Test cricket as top countries returned to play the longest format in the new year that included the India-England four-match series. Thankfully, all of them were played in the traditional five-day format. 

The India-England series

As expected, India outclassed England and won the four-match series 3-1. Some of the pitches used in the series were subject to widespread criticism, with many experts and former cricketers questioning their quality. Only one Test match in the entire series lasted five days. To make matters worse, the pink-ball game at Motera, a day-night affair, ended inside two days. 

Test matches are scheduled to be played across five consecutive days, but why do most of them end within two or three days? 

The impact of T20 cricket on Test cricket is undeniable. It is true that the mindset of Test batsmen has shifted in recent times, and to a certain extent the 20-over game is responsible. 

The rate at which runs are being scored in Test matches has increased multifold in recent times. It is because the players do not understand the value of Test cricket as they have failed to grasp the essence of the oldest format of the game, points out noted sports journalist and former player K Pradeep. 

Ultimate and most challenging

There are not many, be it the current crop of players, cricket administrators or even the commentators, who have a deep understanding of the concept of Test cricket. It is the pinnacle of the game for a reason. No other format of the game tests a player's stamina, patience, character, consistency, and versatility than the five-day match. It puts to the test a team's and its captain's knowledge of the complexities of cricket strategy and tactics, and shrewdness in the field. Teams need to set a goal for each day and even each ball. They should know which strategy is most appropriate in any set of circumstances and the best way of implementing it. The focus should not be only on winning because avoiding defeat is also equally important in Test cricket. 

There were four matches in the India-England Test series and all of them produced a result. It is a rarity in Test cricket. Why was there not a single drawn match in the series? To put it simply, neither England nor India did play for a draw which can be rewarding too in five-day cricket. That is where Sunil Gavaskar and his contemporaries score over the modern day players. There were other batting stalwarts like Mohinder Amarnath, Anshuman Gaekwad, Chetan Chauhan, Dilip Vengsarkar, and bowlers like Bishan Singh Bedi, E A S Prasanna, S Venkatraghavan, Bapu Nadkarni, Dilip Doshi, B S Chandrasekhar, Kapil Dev, Anil Kumble who made their country proud with their exploits in the oldest, purest, and most traditional format of the game.

Anybody raised on cricket in the 1970s and 1980s will remember these players. When it comes to Test cricket, the above-mentioned bowlers were far superior than the current generation. Of the total overs they bowled in a Test match, over 80 percent used to be maidens. Their main job was to stem the flow of runs from both ends. They always bowled tight lines not giving away easy runs. That is what makes the landmark of 400 wickets of Kapil and Kumble very special. Remember, they achieved this feat when gritty, stubborn and tough batsmen ruled the roost. 

Their greatness lies in the way they saved several Test matches when all seemed lost rather than the number of matches they won for the country. That perseverance and application is missing in the current crop of players. Not only India, but almost all of the Test-playing nations are going through a similar phase. 

The root of the problem

According to Pradeep, the main reason for this dip in standards is the current generation's lack of exposure to the kind of game played by their predecessors. They do not take an effort to watch videos of old Test matches, he says. They exist in a bubble of fame and wealth. It will do them a world of good if they watch old videos of players like Gavaskar before playing a Test match. Moreover, not many players do not want to be tagged as a Test player. The likes of Rohit Sharma, Cheteshwar Pujara, and Karun Nair, who possess the ability to play long innings, are keen to do well in ODIs and T20s because these formats offer them more fame and financial security. They cannot be blamed at all. 

That is why India's squads for Tests, ODIs and T20s feature more or less the same bunch of players. At the same time, teams like England and Australia have separate skippers and teams for different formats. Not many in England's Test squad are not part of the ongoing T20 series and the upcoming ODI series against India. Unfortunately, those who do well in the longest format do not get the recognition or monetary benefits like the ODI or T20 specialists. 

Strategies for success

A team requires cricket strategies and tactics to win any game, especially a Test match. Captains need to be flexible enough with the plan to be able to adapt to changing circumstances. You cannot control weather conditions, pitch, or the luck of a coin flip, but you can change your cricket tactics according to the situation.  

The pitch for the first match between India and England at the MA Chidambaram stadium in Chennai was no advert for Test cricket. The person who was tasked with preparing the pitch had no experience, says Pradeep. He had never prepared a pitch for even a first-class match. The surface was criticised for being as flat as a highway on the first two days whereas the last three days saw the surface producing uneven bounce. 

In a Test match, the bowling team is required to bowl a mandatory minimum of 90 overs a day. There was no such rule in the past. The umpire would call stumps after the agreed hours of play regardless of the overs bowled. A minimum target of 90 overs was made mandatory after teams started to delay the proceedings deliberately in order to take advantage of the situation. But when you need to ensure that 90 overs are completed in a day, what will be your strategy? Virat Kohli should have taken a leaf out of the books of Team India in the 70's when Joe Root scored a double hundred or Ben Stokes made some quick runs in the first Test at Chennai. They should have adopted negative tactics by bowling down the leg or the off side. Let the batsmen take singles and doubles, but do not allow them to hit easy boundaries. 

Both spinners and pacers can effectively use this strategy. If the batsman goes for outlandish shots to keep the scoreboard ticking, let him do it. What stopped the Indian skipper and the bowlers from trying out such tactics?  

Most of the captains of the modern era are more focused on their individual game. They do not appear to be leaders who develop and implement strategies successfully, especially in Test cricket. Captains like Gavaskar used to think on their feet. They would pressurise the batsman and force them to throw his wicket away. But what exactly happened in Chennai? Bowlers kept bowling straight without any variation and Root and Stokes continued to pile up runs. 

When his team's chances of winning is bleak, Gavaskar, the captain, used to try to stem the run flow by adopting a negative line. 

Batsmen can also make use of such tactics to save a Test match. If the opposition sets an improbable target, batsmen should try to grind it out in the middle and wear down bowlers. Patience, application and solid defence hold the key to be a consistently successful batsman in the longest format. Pujara is an excellent Test batsman. Players like him need to watch videos of Test matches featuring batsmen like Gavaskar. That would definitely add an extra dimension to their game. 

Leaving the ball is important in Test cricket but today's batsmen try to hit every ball they face. When they are unable to leave a ball, they end up taking body blows. Players like Gavaskar would never attempt to play shots when the team had no chance of winning the match. They would play patiently by leaving the majority of balls by ducking or swaying away from them. Those were batsmen who rarely played a false shot or gave in to impulses. 

On YouTube, one can find numerous videos of Gavaskar tiring out legendary pace bowlers like Bob Willis and Malcolm Marshall. His partners on the other end would be Gaekwad or Chetan Chauhan; both known for their never-say-die attitude. If the team is staring at defeat in the fourth innings, they would never offer a shot. It was the sort of stubborn batting that is rarely appreciated these days.

Bangladesh's tactical blunders

Bangladesh's loss to West Indies in the first Test of the two-match series in Chittagong is a good lesson on how not to play a Test match. Of course, debutant Kyle Mayers deserves full credit for that double hundred on the final day to take the visitors home. He produced a sensational batting performance and smashed a match-winning unbeaten 210 from 310 balls that was laced with 20 fours and seven sixes. Nkrumah Boner gave him good company with a 245-ball 85. On the other hand, Bangladesh's bowling was utterly disappointing. 

Why didn't captain Mominul Haque or their bowlers resort to negative bowling? On the crucial fifth day, they should not have allowed the West Indies batsmen to hit sixers and boundaries at will. That is why Test cricket is the most challenging form of cricket which demands the highest level of match awareness and application. 

Scrapping of Ranji Trophy

BCCI's decision to drop Ranji Trophy from this year's domestic schedule is a fine example of the  growing apathy towards the longer format. The governing body, however, went on with the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy T20 tournament and the Vijay Hazare Trophy ODI championship. The authorities conveniently forgot that Ranji Trophy has been a grooming ground for talents across the country. The BCCI might have only thought about the financial benefits of the move. 

To put it simply, the failure to prioritise objectives is the root  cause of the problem. The authorities need to realise that Test cricket is real cricket. 

Some of you may be thinking that such concerns are unwarranted because India were able to win the series against England handsomely. It's fine to celebrate success but it is more important to heed the lessons of failure. What if India failed to recover from the loss of the first Test and went on to lose the series? 

We live in the age of slam-bang cricket. That was why the BCCI scrapped Ranji Trophy and decided to conduct only domestic ODI and T20 championship without a second thought. 

Remember, the domestic T20 tournament is named after former India all-rounder Syed Mushtaq Ali, who holds the prized distinction of having scored India's first overseas Test hundred. Vijay Hazare was the first man to lead India to victory in international cricket. He was also the first Indian to score a century in each innings of a Test match. 

Young players deserve more chances and that is why the scrapping Ranji Trophy, which is regarded as the 'selection nets' of the Indian Test side, cannot be justified.

Attitude shift

Our attitude towards Tests needs a paradigm shift. It is high time that our cricket administrators and players started taking the longest format more seriously. There are people who dismiss Test cricket as boring. They argue that if there is no result even after five days of play, watching it is a waste of time. The beauty of Test cricket is that even without a result the match can be of great significance. But the players need to have that mindset. A good Test player can definitely excel in shorter formats as well.  

According to former Kerala Ranji Trophy coach P Balachandran, Test cricket is the yardstick for judging the quality of a player. "A player can be rated based on his performance in the Test matches. Substandard pitches will only help to kill interest in Test cricket. If we start preparing pitches that help pace bowlers on Day One and spin bowlers on the last two days, Test cricket will stand the test of time. The ICC should intervene and make it possible," he says.