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ShareLaudable indeed, because whatever happened a fortnight ago was an utter nightmare, lived over and over again on television screens the world over.
Kevin Pietersen deserves full credit for instilling confidence in his lads to complete the tour, and that too after they've been at the receiving end during the one-day series. Also, what's most heartening is that the Englishmen have pledged to donate half their match fees to the terror victims' families.
Years ago, I was part of the Indian team when an English diplomat was assassinated in Mumbai on the first day of an India-England Test series. The scheduled first day's play was called off abruptly, and the match got going only on Day 2. I guess, this time too, once the match gets underway, the players will put whatever happened behind them and concentrate on the game while trying to give their best.
However, it's much easier said than done for the players to get into the Test match mode straightaway. It will be difficult for spectators at the venue too, and for those who will watch the match on television (if at all they do). All the same, it was wise of the BCCI to switch venues, for not a soul would have come to watch cricket in Mumbai as the shock of the terror is still fresh in minds and far too much to absorb so quickly.
With Mohali being announced as the other venue, at least as of now, I wonder why Kolkata was not considered as venue for the second Test match. Mohali has just hosted a Test as well as a one-dayer and, as such, does not really deserve to host back-to-back Test matches. Makes me wonder what really happened to the BCCI's rotation policy of allotting international matches. Or is it BCCI politics that's come into play? I guess you don't need to be an Einstein to figure that one out.
Be that as it may, I am not at all in favour of a two-match series. It should be a three-Test contest, or even a full five-Test series. The BCCI must not lose sight of the fact that Test cricket is the real thing, and what will eventually keep the game alive and kicking, and not the one-dayers or the T20s. It is Test cricket that will provide quality players for the other two versions of the game, and not the other way around. But then, swapping a Test match for two one-dayers must surely be the handiwork of those who perhaps may not be able to differentiate between an off stump and a leg stump!
Nevertheless, if the weather holds out for the next couple of weeks, then we're bound to witness an absorbing two-Test contest. Let's sit back and watch.
