Today India Lost the fifth and final test match to England and squared the series. A series which had lingered for more than a year due to covid. But I am not thinking about Covid or Cricket in the new changed landscape post covid, I am hear to talk about two cricketers who are the inspiration for the heading of this blog.

I will talk first about Johnny Bairstow. He has been the toast of the english cricket team this summer with staller performance across four test against the two best test teams in the world- New Zealand and India. Hitting 4 centuries at a strike rate not seen since Sehwag at his best. A cricketer who had established himself in white ball cricket par excellence. His place was assured in both the one day and the T20 teams for England, and he had performed for them in two ICC trophy victory. But as a test cricketer he was still not an automatic choice for his team. Although he had professed a love for test cricket and was willing to go the hard yard to establish himself in the test Cricket team he was found lacking; not for lack of talent or even for lack of opportunity but just simple weight of runs to walk the talk. From 2015 to 2019 Bairstow was given multiple chances and a given a long rope to express himself, unfortunately he decided to hang himself from the same rope. Whether it led to the ultimate demise of Roots captaincy, is a debate for another time. But suffice to say that Roots backing of Bairstow and his repeated failure contributed to the abject captaincy record Root had. At some point of time Bairstow must have asked himself ‘Is it worth it ?’, like many of us have asked. He was already a great white ball cricketer with impressive numbers in both one-day and T20- international and various leagues around the world; was an automatic selection for his national team, and sought after in T20 leagues around the world. He was financially secure enough, had a dedicated fan following. So “Why?” did he subject himself to such humiliation and questions about his ability and unquestioned talent. Why was test cricket so important to Jonny?

The fact is that any English or Australian cricketer is viewed through the lens of his performance in The Ashes. If you haven’t performed in the Ashes then there will always be an Asterix against your record. So that could be one reason, however me being a romantic would like to give another explanation.

The answer lies in the format of the game itself. Test Cricket has always been considered the purest form of the game. Many former and current greats have expressed their love for test Cricket, as a true test of character and skills. You must have heard or read “it is called ‘Test’ for a reason”. Personally I feel that Test Cricket most closely resembles life itself; like Life it requires dedication, patience and persistence to succeed. At the same time it is fickle, rewarding you for something which you don’t deserve individually but is a reward for your teammate’s efforts. Like Life, Cricket is a game of inches. 1/2 an inch here and there is a difference between an inside edge on the stumps and a trickle down to third man boundary. In life too small mistakes sometime lead to big consequences and luck plays an extraordinary role (not that many will acknowledge it). And even after all the hard work, skill and persistence you can fail because of pitch, weather or just plain bad luck. How many times have we failed in workplace because of things which are not under our control? Despite all you achievements and failure we are left to wonder ‘what was the point?’ like a draw after a five day test with no result. Just like one bad session can lead to defeat, one mistake can lead to failure and your past record/performance does not help. But just like life gives you a second chance we have a second innings to make amends. So to succeed in test cricket is akin to succeeding in life.

Speaking of Test Cricket, we come to our second cricketer. One of my favourite cricketers Cheteshwara Pujara. He is on the other end of the spectrum. A test Cricket specialist, who plays only test cricket. He has gone unsold in IPL auctions since 2015. When CSK picked him for his base price last year it is reported that the entire room applauded (They benched him for the entire season, is another matter). He does not play one day cricket even for his state team. So when he was dropped last year from the Indian test team, It felt like the end of the road for him. Many predicted the end of his career. But I knew he will be back. He is one of the most unappreciated batsman in the world. After all what does he have to offer in todays busy world?   What is he really good at doing? These are things we worry that are dying, things that need to be taken up as a cause. Concentration or patience or dedication or courage. I am sure many of you will laugh at me for mentioning his 139 ball 50 in the same breath as Bairstow hundred at breakneck speed; but make no mistake his inning was just as important. He always batted when India needed him most, his epic fifty’s in Australia’s last tour in Brisbane and Sydney, even the fifty in Lords were critical to India’s success. He does not take the bowler on like a Kohli or Bairstow but wears them down so that others can take advantage of the tired and frustrated bowlers. He reminds me of the quite performer in our team who does his bit and is happy to share credit with his teammates. He is like a child in the playground who loves to do what he loves, which is to bat-on and on till either the sun sets or the ball is lost, or there is no one willing to bowl to him. In todays world he is teaching us not to seek instant gratification but build something with patience, concentration and dedication. To appreciate him, ask the bowler who would they rather bowl to, him or Bairstow. 9 out of 10 would say Bairstow because he gives them a chance but Pujara will keep leaving the ball for the full day. Ask a fast bowler who runs 50 yards to deliver a ball which is left alone and he has to go back and do it again and again. It is irritating. It is reported that even in nets, bowlers don’t like to bowl to Pujara. His courage is evident in the number of times he has chosen to be hit by the ball instead of getting bowled, or hanging his bat out to take an edge. It takes a Gandhian mentality to take that kind of punishment without retaliating.

His success means a lot, for we may never see someone like him again- he belongs to a dying breed of cricketers. Lets appreciate him while we can and while he is available to appreciate our appreciation.

I hope todays generation can somehow appreciate the nuances of test cricket and understand why it is still the ultimate Test, and we old timers are enamoured by it.