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Memonics

VVS Laxman made a stylish half century in his 100th Test match, Sourav Ganguly might yet reach the magical three-figure mark in his final game wearing the blue India cap, and Sachin Tendulkar, by sheer force of habit, notched up his 40th hundred to keep the limelight trained on himself despite the hoopla surrounding the aforementioned two.

These wonderful knocks apart, there was a blazing 66 from Virender Sehwag which had the Australians singed so badly that they muffed up almost half-a-dozen chances even after he was dismissed. Meanwhile, unknown Murali Vijay made an impressive debut to suggest that he is not out of place as an opener in a team that boasts some mighty reputations and records.

And yet, something was missing on the first day of the final Test. Where were the spectators, I ask?

This series was billed as the unofficial contest for the number one position. The ‘grudge factor’, following India’s acrimonious tour of Australia last season should only have added a more competitive dimension to the Tests, and whetted the appetite of cricket lovers in the country. Instead, the spectatorship has been tepid in Bangalore, decent in Delhi, poor in Mohali and abysmal on the first day in Nagpur.

I am not a misanthrope or a fuddy-duddy romantic. But if there are less than 5000 people in attendance in a cricket-crazy country for a match which promises so many things — milestones for Ganguly and Laxman apart, Dhoni’s debut as full-fledged captain and the possibility of India regaining the rubber from the champion side, to name a few — then some serious thinking on how to salvage Test cricket becomes imperative.

Any comparison with limited overs cricket, either 50-50 or Twenty20, in this context, is specious. The appeal of instant cricket is now established for more than four decades, so where is the debate. Yet, this does not mitigate the need to preserve Test match cricket, which is not only another form of the game, but also perhaps its most valuable, as any cricketer worth his salt would testify even today.

Admittedly, the game’s administrators have expressed concern. Cricket Australia I hear is seriously considering night-time Tests, and the ICC is working on the logistics of a World Test Championship which might just carry greater appeal than a bilateral series. Other suggestions range from the radical to the nostalgic: one argument went that a Test be restricted to three days, made up of two limited overs games (90 overs each, followed by 50 overs each) to guarantee a result. The counter to that was to revert to uncovered pitches and three day Tests.

Doubtless, there will be several other proposals, but time is of the essence. The game’s minders, especially in this country, need to get out of their Twenty20-induced stupor and address the problem pronto to validate that India is the epicentre of the game. If Test cricket is indeed the Real Thing, they really need to get going.