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- Jan 13, 2010
Article by AngryAngy -
It is a curious time in India. Year after year, they host a boring series, but this one is possibly the most intriguing boring series ever. The games have all been draws. The pitches are flat. The batsmen have often gotten out in sheer disgust and a bowler has even made back to back hundreds (possibly also out of sheer disgust).
Yet amidst this hazy brown backdrop, Test cricket somehow finds a story to tell. A story of how a rebellious bunch of glorified pacific islanders managed to subdue cricket’s rising empire. A great disturbance in the Force, if you will.
While Indian cricket is quick to associate itself with gold and royalty, New Zealand prefers black, fernery and a cute, furry little flightless bird. The Indian team is a source of religious focus; New Zealand’s a source of prodigious blasphemy.
Yet there are many similarities. Brendon McCullum was a wicketkeeper who gave up the gloves to become a specialist opener. Similarly, Harbhajan Singh has given up spin bowling to become a specialist number 8. VVS Laxman is a superhero; Martin Guptill looks like one. Chris Martin and Sreesanth even share the same Kung Fu master.
Their Kung Fu is strong... (source: ESPNcricinfo)
While India might be the better team by some measure of ease (at least 9.9 half-asses), they’ve looked very lazy at times. New Zealand have been at their plucky best and have made the most of what they have, even if that also means making it look harder than it really is. This has been all that is necessary for NZ to match India, because the pitches are better laid than the Indian transit system. The question of who can bowl the other side out faster hasn’t yet factored, because they both end up batting too long for a result.
The Zaheer Khan injury is obviously a big one. His wicket taking strongly affects not only India’s ability to bowl out the opposition and win, but also to avoid conceding a huge total and thus lose. They still win games without him, but they are just as likely to lose or draw. This means they would be strong if going into the game needing simply to not lose, but when only a win will do, it puts them in an awkward position. Or at least it should. Dhoni may be keen on 0-0. We mortals can’t presume to understand the world view of a man with that much money. Maybe he considers it a tax deductible charity.
On the other hand, NZ have never won much. A full strength New Zealand should still be less likely than a weakened India to win and twice as likely to lose. However, they’ve made it this far already without losing. If India have found an incomprehensible motivation to avoid winning, then the Kiwis surely have a perfectly sound one. Drawing the series with the no. 1 Test side would say a lot about their consistency and if they give a flying flock about the rankings, it would probably mean a boost there too. Win, lose or draw, they have already achieved a positive result. They have nothing to fear, nothing to lose. India now must surely be dreading the prospect of losing.
And so the show moves into the third and final act. How shall it best end? Surely the only conceivable way out of limbo for this series is for Nagpur to present a proper crumbling wicket that will misbehave. I suppose they could also try to prepare a greentop, but India will go in with two spinners regardless of conditions, so they might as well attempt tactics that suit them. India will finally put their money where their mouth is and if need be, New Zealand will take it (because they’re poor). It may produce a short Test, but heaven forbid we get 2 or 3 days of watchable cricket in amongst our epic tale of good versus evil.
More...
It is a curious time in India. Year after year, they host a boring series, but this one is possibly the most intriguing boring series ever. The games have all been draws. The pitches are flat. The batsmen have often gotten out in sheer disgust and a bowler has even made back to back hundreds (possibly also out of sheer disgust).
Yet amidst this hazy brown backdrop, Test cricket somehow finds a story to tell. A story of how a rebellious bunch of glorified pacific islanders managed to subdue cricket’s rising empire. A great disturbance in the Force, if you will.
While Indian cricket is quick to associate itself with gold and royalty, New Zealand prefers black, fernery and a cute, furry little flightless bird. The Indian team is a source of religious focus; New Zealand’s a source of prodigious blasphemy.
Yet there are many similarities. Brendon McCullum was a wicketkeeper who gave up the gloves to become a specialist opener. Similarly, Harbhajan Singh has given up spin bowling to become a specialist number 8. VVS Laxman is a superhero; Martin Guptill looks like one. Chris Martin and Sreesanth even share the same Kung Fu master.
Their Kung Fu is strong... (source: ESPNcricinfo)Following their ODI defeat to Bangladesh, New Zealand were like a man who has been kicked in the goolies by a small child. It hurt like hell, but there was nothing they could do. However, like dinosaurs in a theme park, they found a way. They marched right up to another man, presuming him to be the child’s father, in order to exacted misdirected revenge on his testes.
While India might be the better team by some measure of ease (at least 9.9 half-asses), they’ve looked very lazy at times. New Zealand have been at their plucky best and have made the most of what they have, even if that also means making it look harder than it really is. This has been all that is necessary for NZ to match India, because the pitches are better laid than the Indian transit system. The question of who can bowl the other side out faster hasn’t yet factored, because they both end up batting too long for a result.
The Zaheer Khan injury is obviously a big one. His wicket taking strongly affects not only India’s ability to bowl out the opposition and win, but also to avoid conceding a huge total and thus lose. They still win games without him, but they are just as likely to lose or draw. This means they would be strong if going into the game needing simply to not lose, but when only a win will do, it puts them in an awkward position. Or at least it should. Dhoni may be keen on 0-0. We mortals can’t presume to understand the world view of a man with that much money. Maybe he considers it a tax deductible charity.
On the other hand, NZ have never won much. A full strength New Zealand should still be less likely than a weakened India to win and twice as likely to lose. However, they’ve made it this far already without losing. If India have found an incomprehensible motivation to avoid winning, then the Kiwis surely have a perfectly sound one. Drawing the series with the no. 1 Test side would say a lot about their consistency and if they give a flying flock about the rankings, it would probably mean a boost there too. Win, lose or draw, they have already achieved a positive result. They have nothing to fear, nothing to lose. India now must surely be dreading the prospect of losing.
And so the show moves into the third and final act. How shall it best end? Surely the only conceivable way out of limbo for this series is for Nagpur to present a proper crumbling wicket that will misbehave. I suppose they could also try to prepare a greentop, but India will go in with two spinners regardless of conditions, so they might as well attempt tactics that suit them. India will finally put their money where their mouth is and if need be, New Zealand will take it (because they’re poor). It may produce a short Test, but heaven forbid we get 2 or 3 days of watchable cricket in amongst our epic tale of good versus evil.
More...
