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Test Champions? So What?
By Gaurang
December 8 2009
India winning the World Cup in 1983 sparked off huge nation-wide celebrations and ushered in the ODI era. A generation later when India won the inaugural Twenty20 World Championships a similar if somewhat staged euphoria engulfed the land, and ushered in the age of IPL. Will India's ascendency to the status of World Champions of Test cricket kick off a similar boom in Test cricket?

I somehow very much doubt it.

 The reasons are many, not the least being the utterly unimaginative and pedantic ICC ranking system that substitutes for a real Test Championship.  The absolute idiocy of the ICC’s current system is very much evident, in that India may lose its so called Title, without even losing another match. This is simply because India probably won’t play enough Tests to keep its title, regardless of whether it wins all of the limited number of Tests it plays or not. 

However make no mistake, even if India lose their official Title, earning it is quite an achievement.  It was earned by blood, sweat and tears over  nearly a decade of passionate cricket, first under the pioneering Sourav Ganguly and now under the dashing Mahendra Singh Dhoni which raised the level of India’s Test cricket to unprecedented heights.  Dada began the trend of the team winning Tests in all conditions against all opponents at home and overseas and Mahi has consolidated that, by now winning not just Tests, but series consistently at home and overseas. 

 

But be that as it may be, for the casual cricket fan, who probably out number the die-hard 5 to 1 if not more, the lack of a defined tournament, with a trophy to be won, and later defended, the achievement of becoming World Test Champions cannot be understood in visceral terms like the 1983 World Cup win or even the 2007 Twenty20 World Cup victory.

Hence such fans will ask "World Test Champions, So What?"

 

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8 Dec, 2009 04:28 Report
Indian Cricket Fever (IP Logged)
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Test Champions? So What?
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8 Dec, 2009 07:29 Report
Birbal (IP Logged)
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Re: Test Champions? So What?
It is a magnificent achievement...but unfortunately in the bazaar of instant and cheap thrills it will not be much appreciated...

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8 Dec, 2009 11:12 Report
Aidan11 (IP Logged)
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Re: Test Champions? So What?
Well done to India. At one stage it looked like the Aussies were going to dominate top spot for many years. Now it's a more open contest.

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8 Dec, 2009 12:42 Report
Max (IP Logged)
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Re: Test Champions? So What?
Good article there Birbal. You have summed up things perfectly. It seems the BCCI, Indian media, and the vast majority of fans (excluding ICFers of course) do not care much for Test cricket. The No.1 Test ranking has caught less public interest here, especially compared to the incredible hype and attention that was seen after India won the T20 WC in 2007. The recent poll that showed only 7% of Indian fans preferred Tests seems to be spot on. Unless there is a dramatic change in attitude (especially in the BCCI), Test cricket in India is destined to die slowly but surely.


India - World Cup winners 2011!!!
Congrats to Indian team and all Indian fans!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2009:12:08:12:52:50 by Max.

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8 Dec, 2009 21:05 Report
chandra (IP Logged)
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Re: Test Champions? So What?
No mention of wins under Dravid and Kumble? Tsk. Tsk.


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Off break, doosra, yorker, googly, straight drive, sweep, square cut, late cut ... I love them all.

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8 Dec, 2009 22:20 Report
Birbal (IP Logged)
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Re: Test Champions? So What?
But check out the record of Dravid and Kumble.. it is poorer than Ganguly's... so really did they take the team forward in Tests?

Actually if you want to credit folks, John Wright and Dalmiya deserve a lot of credit too..

I totally avoided mentioning Greg Chappell...and appropriately too...he did nothing to take Indian cricket forward...

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8 Dec, 2009 22:44 Report
Gabbar (IP Logged)
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Re: Test Champions? So What?
Well it seems like BCCI and Indians in general are not paying attention to test matches - probably will kill it too -


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9 Dec, 2009 13:21 Report
Spirit of Cricket (IP Logged)
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Re: Test Champions? So What?
Part of the reason for lack of reaction is the "thrill" factor that accompanies a major tournament win, such as the World Cup, isn't there.

Everyone knows the ICC rankings are fickle, and can fluctuate wildly from week to week. That's what makes them so unreliable.

A win in the final of the World Cup won't change though, and the satisfaction from it lasts a long while, as the Kapil's Devils performance showed.

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9 Dec, 2009 17:31 Report
Indian Well Wisher (IP Logged)
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Re: Test Champions? So What?
Quote:
Birbal
But check out the record of Dravid and Kumble.. it is poorer than Ganguly's... so really did they take the team forward in Tests?
Actually if you want to credit folks, John Wright and Dalmiya deserve a lot of credit too..

I totally avoided mentioning Greg Chappell...and appropriately too...he did nothing to take Indian cricket forward...

Birb, agree on Kumble with u, nothing credible by him and he was MAHA defensive captain...

However Dravid, despite a poorer overall recod, did take us forward by winning test series against England and WI, and WI was on his own..something which even Ganguly cud not do...

So I do credit Dravid a lot for carrying on the abroad winning spree a step ahead by actually winning (and not drawing) the series..

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9 Dec, 2009 19:20 Report
Birbal (IP Logged)
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Re: Test Champions? So What?
I am not belittling the contributions of Dravid or Kumble...

Heck Perth occured under Kumble...

but Dravid did lose a series to Pakistan in Pakistan and Kumble lost to Lanka in Lanka... Dravid also lost a Test to England at home...India caving in to Shaun Who(U)dall?

Overall it was one step forward, one step back with these guys...Dhoni has been Maha consistent...

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27 Jan, 2010 06:34 Report
Birbal (IP Logged)
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Re: Test Champions? So What?
2-0 in the bag over lowly Bangladesh... now for the main draw...

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31 Jan, 2010 22:11 Report
Birbal (IP Logged)
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Re: Test Champions? So What?
This is the WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP of Cricket...yet it feels so low-key...wonder why?

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19 Feb, 2010 17:15 Report
Birbal (IP Logged)
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Re: Test Champions? So What?
Well it turned out to be a pretty BIG deal...and when India managed to hold on to their No. 1 spot the reaction of the players, especially Bhajji but lot of the others, showed how important it is to them...

Good to see

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20 Feb, 2010 09:58 Report
Haringey Racer (IP Logged)
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Re: Test Champions? So What?
Quote:
Birbal
This is the WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP of Cricket...yet it feels so low-key...wonder why?

Well it isn't really a world championship, it's a ranking system. There's a difference.

Possibly the fact that it was only a two test series, no 'world championship trophy'

I'd love to see a proper structured tournament where everyone played everyone else over a given period, or some sort of knockout system that ended in a 'final' (by which I mean a 3 or 5 match series) but it would be a nightmare to organise.

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21 Feb, 2010 03:59 Report
Birbal (IP Logged)
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Re: Test Champions? So What?
No not really, all it would take is for Teams to agree to play minimum of 9 and maximum of 15 or so Tests per year...

I have laid out my plan.. many, many YEARS ago... but still not been implemented by slow as molasis in January ICC...

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11 Aug, 2011 18:41 Report
Birbal (IP Logged)
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Re: Test Champions? So What?
Bump...

India held on to the Number one for good part of two years...mostly by not playing much overseas...


Their second BIG test overseas... after South Africa...and they are on the verge of losing the title...

But hopefully England will come visiting soon and India will prepare proper turners...and return the favor to once again take top spot... unless of course South Africa snatch it from both England and India...

Still think a proper championship would be much more interesting and relevant...

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15 Aug, 2011 03:20 Report
Birbal (IP Logged)
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Re: Test Champions? So What?
Congrats to England for becoming de facto Test Champions... and soon actual ones (after the series ends)...

How big a deal is it for English fans?

Is it bigger than the Ashes?... Or just a nice optional extra...

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