World Test Championship
While T20s and The Hundred are the most watched formats of the sport, when asked about the best format of the game, most players and fans would unanimously reply the Test. Aptly named, the Test match is a 5 day affair between 2 teams which duke it out in the most grueling form of the game. But as time passed on, people started phasing out of watching the format. Who had the time to watch 5 continuous days of cricket?
As T20 leagues across the world gained popularity (particularly the IPL and the Australian Big Bash League), many viewers dropped test cricket and preferred to look at the scores after the game was over. It did not help that even after 5 days of cricket, it was entirely possible to not get a winning and losing team, due to how the format was played.
In order to boost the popularity of the format, the ICC (International Cricket Council) formulated the World Test Championship. The format was simple. Teams would play their series’ as intended, while the ICC would keep track of the scores. the Top 2 teams with the highest winning percentage would play a test match at the end of the 2 year cycle, in order to crown the best test playing nation for the cycle. The end of these 2 years ( 2021–2023 ) was culminated in a match between India and Australia.
The match was played in the Kennigton Oval in London on the 7th of June, and lasted for the full 5 days, till the 11th. Australia was declared the winner and hence also crowned the World Test Championship, extending India’s trophy drought to a decade long period.
India won the toss, surprisingly choosing to bowl first. This came to bite India, as England very easily scored 469 runs on the backs of two magnificent centuries by Steve Smith (121) and Travis Head (163). The Indian bowling order frankly had no clue how to deal with the Australian batting order, and more often than not was Rohit Sharma’s captaincy judged. On the flip side the Australian bowling attack dismantled the entire Indian batting line up for a mere (in comparison) 296, with only Rahane (89), Jadeja (48) and Shardul Thakur (51) managing any reasonable contributions.
The pitch continued to detoriate as time passed, with India showing a firmer bowling side, but still allowed the Australians to score 270 with 2 wickets in hand. Smelling the blood in the water, Australia declared, setting a target of 444 runs and over 1.5 days left to bat.
This time, the Indian batting did show a little more gusto and grit, but as lunch time rolled the next day, India was all out for 234, with only Rohit, Kohli and Rahane scoring 40s, while the rest got out early. This is in no way an acceptable performance shown by our very proven Indian squad, but credit most go where credit is due. Australia had done their homework rigourously and thoroughly, they utilised the conditions of London to their favour immensely. Many arm chair journalists criticised Rohit’s exclusion of veteran Ashwin in the team, and I am inclined to agree with this. Ashwin was a critical part of their lead up to this match, and retrospectively it was apparent another spinner was required to halt the English batsmen. Australia read the pitch better and were given the chance to bat first on a platter. They played well throughout the season and showed up as their best for the final match.
Going forward there is the ODI world cup, the next big tournament in cricketing calendar. India has a lot to work on if they want to lift the trophy. But enough of the doom news. A new tournament means another chance to perform, and here is to looking forward to a great tournament!