A hard-fought victory for Indian cricket team

In what can be considered a formidable challenge to the well-acknowledged, invincible position of Indian cricket team at home, the English cricket team fought valiantly to overcome the stiff target of 399 set to win in the second test held at Visakhapatnam. In the end, the Men in Blue overhauled their areas of concern and handed over a 106-run defeat to the visitors, squaring up the 5-match series, one all. This target, set by the home team, was a run more than the one which they chased down back home in England, just two years ago. So, as long as the English players were at the crease at the port city stadium, which saw a good turnout of both Indian and British fans, there was no chance for the desi players to relax, even as they made steady inroads into the opposition camp, with quick wickets and economical bowling attack.

This was the second match of the current series underway which got over in four days, when traditionally Test matches are allotted five days to enable the connoisseurs of the game to enjoy the long format for its varied characteristics – test of endurance, battle between the bat and ball and the see-sawing nature of the proceedings which make it gripping for its followers.

The overwhelming impact of the T20 matches, the hurry to score runs by either manufacturing shots or maintaining a slogging, muscular approach throughout the proceedings of the game have made the classical mode of cricket take a backseat among the younger patrons. This was admitted by Shubman Gill in a post-match interaction as a response to a question raised by the on-field commentator Kevin Pietersen. Gill said it is very much possible the 20-somethings who have broken into Test cricket are improvising their shots and accelerating the scoring rate by deploying the T20 game mode.

Whatever it is, cricket as a game seems growing bigger and bigger, especially as far as its commercial potential goes. Indian youth have a feast awaiting them in the next few months by way of the IPL, where many of them see their cricket heroes in action, drawn from all corners of the world. Then there is the The T20 World Cup 2024, set to start from June 1, which features a total of 55 matches spread across 9 venues. Six stadiums in the West Indies and the remaining in the USA will host the matches, with the Super Eight and knockout level set to be played in the West Indies. Already, the fans of the willow game are talking about the Olympic status it has managed and how it will make its re-entry into the global arena at Los Angeles in 2028. All this goes to prove that the game invented by the English as a recreation has maintained a disproportionate popularity and support among a dozen-odd nations, the biggest among them being India, with its fanatic support base and mindboggling financial worth, making it the dada of the sport in all formats.

Rohit Sharma has every reason to feel pleased with this win as his mother’s hometown is Visakhapatnam and he has quite a few happy memories with his ODI exploits at this venue. In the 2019 Test vs South Africa in Visakhapatnam, he recorded scores of 176 and 127, achieving the feat of being among the openers who hit twin centuries in a single Test match. Let’s wish the Indians continue the winning momentum at Rajkot, where the third test is scheduled.