Test cricket came alive dramatically over the weekend when two astonishing results were served up in the fabled David versus Goliath tradition. The first saw the West Indies, written off these days as former champions of the game, beat the Australians on their home soil down under, which is a tough thing to achieve. The second result came on the same day as Team England, rated as the underdogs on Indian soil with its distinct bias for the spinning ball, upset the applecart of Team India. And to think the two finalists at the World Test Championship in England last summer were the ones that had to eat humble pie after visiting teams came and did what the Aussies and the Indians often do in sustaining their near spotless home records. The tale from the Caribbean, of a fast bowler who was a daily wage worker in a small Guyanese village, was the stuff that will make folklore as Shamar Joseph came, smiled and conquered, bowling out the Aussies in a stunning display of splendidly directed fast bowling. And this after having a toe nearly broken by a fast yorker at the batting crease and having to hobble his way to the Gabba only because the team doctor asked him to come along if only to cheer the boys on. Closer home, on a slow Hyderabad turner tending to wear out in the course of the Test in which Team India batted their way to a first innings lead of 190 runs, a debutant spinner took seven wickets to send the home team tumbling in the chase. And before him, a batter named Pope had blessed the England effort with an innings bristling with positivity in the emerging tradition of “Bazball”, a term in keeping with the spirit of the times when the white ball game is dominant. The pair of results could not have come at a better time and at well-attended venues too to enliven the game and raise the image of Test cricket that still has a big role to play for the health of its pop versions like T20. The results reinforce the view that sport is a medium that inspires people to believe that a never-say-die spirit is the key to success, however insurmountable the odds may seem.
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