Irrespective of who won at the fifth and final Test at the Oval, let’s acknowledge that it’s Test cricket, which is the ultimate winner.
Bravo Team India! What a dramatic comeback – pushed to the sword, Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna kept their cool to pull off an unforgettable victory on the fifth day by six runs.
What a breathtaking finish – nobody had the final word till the final result emerged – the match went down to the wire as Shubman Gill’s boys had the last laugh, levelling the Test series 2-2.
Now, cynics who have made a lifetime of poking fun at the longest format of the game should sit back and renege on their obstinate stance.
Over the last many years, first with the advent of ODIs and now T20Is, Test cricket was almost making its way to the gallows with modernists championing the cause of the truncated versions, but the table has been turned upside down.
Take a bow Test cricket – you have for sure shut the venomous voices of your detractors and proved why you are here to stay.
Set aside the theatrics associated with the glitz and glamour of T20s, a Test victory always tastes the sweetest. When Virat Kohli said, Test cricket was his favourite, some of his fans had their doubts. Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina, M Bevan and many others weren’t pushed up the pedestal because of their meager returns in the longest format of the game.
And this is where the invincibility of Test matches stands tall.
As far as Team India is concerned, the series leveller means a huge impetus to the sagging morale of the players as well as the support staff led by a beleaguered coach in Gautam Gambhir, especially after two series defeats on the trot.
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The batters have come good, the bowlers have risen to the occasion and most importantly, the boys till the end were in no mood to give up. That’s what mattered amid the plethora of flaks they had to encounter.
Now, it’s time to roar back with a noise that reverberates forever. Terrific comeback and more so because it’s in the most revered version of the game.
Carry on Test cricket!
