Actually, the Second Test had very few dull moments, and was absorbing almost throught the five days, starting with the sensational start with New Zealand losing three wickets within the first hour, followed by a superb fight back, with rapidly scored centuries by three Kiwi batsmen, including a maiden double ton by the rookie Jesse Ryder to set India a massive total to chase.  This was followed by India’s two innings, which both began with brief but spectacular Sehwag pyrotechnics but ended in completely different ways, a collapse in a heap in the first innings and unyielding resistance in the second.

For many Indian fans this draw was even more satisfying than the emphatic win in the First Test of the series, and far more satisfying than almost any ODI or T20 win with the exception of World Cup wins.  What explains this phenomenon?

There are several layers to this seeming anomaly.  First of all for all the instant thrills that a limited over game can provide, the fact remains that they are contrived and “instant” by design and not the kind that slowly build up over hours and days.  In cricket as in other things in life quicker is not necessarily better.  There is no way that an ODI or T20 match could provide a display of sheer grit and character that an innings such as Gautam Gambhir’s provided.  Batting for nearly eleven hours while under the constant pressure of staring defeat in the face, where even one mistake could be fatal, requires immense reserves of will, stamina and concentration, which can never be displayed in the slam-bang confines of an ODI or T20 match.

Secondly Tests by their nature provide the full canvas for a player to display his talent and temprament.  Sure hitting rapid-fire fours and sixes is exciting in a limited over game, but if such stroke play becomes routine, which it often does in the shorter version of the game, it loses much of its thrill.  Moreover such stroke play, when appropriate can also be unleashed in a Test match, and can be even more goose bump inducing than in any limited over game.  For instance the tension releasing flurry of boundaries by VVS Laxman and Yuvraj Singh post-tea on day five of the Napier Test was like the sudden outburst of a drenching rain after a long, hot, thirsty summer of denial, and induced similar feelings of elation, joy and release that the onset of the monsoon is known to provide.  Similarly the murderous assault on English bowlers unleashed by Tendulkar and Ganguly in the gathering gloom of a Yorkshire night to put the fate of the Headingly Test match of 2002 beyond doubt will be long remembered, after similar pyrotechnics in some “masala” ODI or T20 game, are long forgotten.    

Thirdly, the context of the game in a Test match series, can also provide a drawn match with immense significance.  By holding out for a draw against all odds, while batting out three days under the shadow of a mountain of runs, denying the opposition a potentially series leveling win, while also reversing a trend of losing the Test following a Test win overseas, all reveal the true characteristics of individual players and a team as a whole.  Such a performance thus assumes tremendous significance beyond the mere stalemated result. 

Finally, a drawn match reminds us that not everything in life is win or lose.  In fact much of life is often about making the best out of circumstances and performing even when the odds are against you, and where achieving a stalemate may be the best you can do.  In this way, Test cricket respects its fans by assuming that they are mature enough to understand this reality and to appreciate the process and the effort put into any endeavor, separately from the actual final result, i.e. it knows that not only the players, but even  fans, can often draw strength from a draw.

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