Over The Ages

Being a cricket aficionado and not a single blog post on cricket is something that’s really odd. Well, there is a first time to everything and here goes my first ever blog post on cricket.

Cricket, often referred to as ‘The Gentlemen’s Game’ is one of the few sports that I am really crazy about. The first match that I saw live in a cricket stadium was the test match between India and England. All my friends were like a test match is so boring. You have to wait for five days to get a result; whereas in an ODI the result is out in a matter of just 50 overs. Now this statement has diluted even further. Ever since the investiture of T20 into formal world cricket, people prefer to watch and enjoy the game even more. So what happens to the good old test cricket? Is it going to be no more?? According to me, test cricket is the actual test of a cricketer’s talent, capacity and capability. Surviving for five days on the field under the bright scorching sun in an Australian summer or the cold gusty English winter can by no means be compared to lasting a few overs. Test cricket is a true test of a cricketer’s nerve to play the game. As Sir Jeffery Archer rightly said, “T20 is not cricket. True cricket is India playing England with Sachin or Dravid scoring a ton in Lords.”

T20 is more like entertainment through cricket. The game is over in a matter of three hours. Its like a more diluted form of cricket. One thing that T20 is managed to bring in is the massive crowds spanning over a wide range of generations. There is more money into cricket and the bank balances of cricketers are soaring high in the mid air. With the induction of the IPL, national loyalty has been replaced by provincial loyalty. Well, the game has proved to be a success and is here to stay. But, in no means will it replace the grand old test cricket.

At the end of the day whether it is test cricket or T20, the bottom like is it is CRIKET- the sport that I adore the most.