On September 22nd, 2016 – history was made when Virat Kohli‘s troops stepped onto the Green Park Stadium in Kanpur. India became only the fourth country to play 500 Test matches after England, Australia, and West Indies. The journey began over 84 years ago on the hallowed turf of Lord’s and has since captivated a billion strong population with its magnitude.
The New Zealand team led by Kane Willamson were on the other side of the fence. Though every narrative demands one, their affable demeanor as well as plucky approach stands in the way of labeling them as the antagonists. Also, the start of a defining home season which should reiterate the stature of Test cricket, the game itself turned out to be an absorbing affair.
Sterling AG have come up with a fitting tribute to India’s 500th Test by releasing a comic book to mark the monumental occasion. Through their exclusive illustrations, we at Sportskeeda, present to you those memorable moments from the match that will be etched in our memories forever.
Just another number, or rather not
Ahead of the opening day, an array of stars lined up at Green Park to be felicitated for their contributions to Indian cricket. With several of the country’s iconic captains watching the proceedings, Kohli got himself off to a great start off the field. On a pitch which was expected to deteriorate rapidly, winning the toss could turn out to be a massive shot in the arm.
At the toss, a pumped-up Kohli admitted, “To be a part of the 500th Test, I couldn't even imagine I'd be captaining it. I am grateful and honored.” Perhaps beneath those reassuring words was a hint of nervousness. No number might be deemed insignificant in cricket, especially for Indians.
A promising duet cut short
KL Rahul, who had made his name as a classical batsman in the domestic circuit, set the ball rolling by unleashing a flurry of strokes to leave the Kiwis perplexed. However, the classy right-hander’s eagerness to follow the ‘aggressive’ brand of cricket preferred by his skipper resulted in a lapse of concentration.
However, the ever solid pairing of Murali Vijay and Cheteshwar Pujara combined together to eke out a resolute partnership for the second wicket.
When it seemed like the ship was sailing smoothly, Mitchell Santner managed to lure Pujara into a half-hearted nudge and the 112-run stand got broken just as it threatened to blossom further. The crowd did not mind one bit since their favorite batsman would have to arrive imminently.
The roaring anti-climax
With the pitch beginning to embrace spinners, Kohli waltzed into the middle keeping a close eye on the likes of Santner and company. The crowd were soon up on their feet as a loose delivery from the left-arm spinner was dispatched towards the fence without any fuss.
The crescendo got louder after a short ball from Neil Wagner was helped on its way to the boundary. When the roof of the stadium found itself in considerable strife owing to the delirious atmosphere, a nasty bouncer from the wholehearted pacer climbed up alarmingly at the Indian captain. An eerie silence akin to a cemetery at midnight engulfed the arena as Kohli walked back leaving the spectators in dismay.
Some respite from up above
The wheels came off in spectacular fashion as the middle-order flattered to deceive by crumbling in a heap. All three of New Zealand’s spinners were now amongst the wickets and onlookers appeared to murmur and question who was enjoying the home advantage in this contest. India’s very own spin duo of Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja had to do some heavy lifting with the bat as well.
After the hosts crawled their way to 318, they would have wanted a few early wickets to wrest back control. But, Tom Latham and Kane Williamson endeavored to demonstrate back-foot play of the highest quality to rub salt into their opposition’s wounds.
Visiting batsmen from outside Asia showing Indians how to play spin, did that come out right? Even the heavens could not bear with the thought and opened up to offer some much needed respite to Kohli’s troops.
When in India, ..….…...
At the start of day 3, India’s bowlers knew they had their task cut out. Ashwin and Jadeja, labeled the nation’s newest ‘Spin Twins’, collaborated to deceive the Kiwis. While the off-spinner enticed them with his drift, the left-armer repeatedly hit the pad through his unyielding accuracy.
In particular, the delivery to remove Williamson from the equation pleased both Ashwin as well as Kohli. The initial dip invited the compact 26-year old forward before the ball landed a touch shorter and veered back sharply to castle the stumps. When in India, never discount the turn.
From ‘Sir’, with love
Eventually, India prised out a handy lead of 58. Though Ashwin’s piece of magic captivated everyone’s attention, Jadeja’s effort did not go unnoticed. The southpaw sent down 34 overs and picked up his fifth five-wicket haul.
When he was not rendering yeoman service to his country, among Jadeja’s past-times include taking a trip to the forest and debating ‘King of the Jungle’ with lions. For someone of that genre, the man himself did not need his innate savagery while dealing with the Kiwis, who were mere mortals in comparison.
Didn’t this happen before?
Aware of the vagaries that accompany batting last on this surface, India’s openers strode out eager to prevent the Kiwis from coming back into the contest. What transpired could be called as a mirror image of the first innings.
Following another blitz at the top, Rahul once again did not convert his start into a substantial score. But, Vijay and Pujara joined hands to construct their second century-plus partnership of the match. The tourists were not able to do anything other than stare at the proceedings in déjà vu.
Of showmanship and bonhomie
However, more agony was to be sprinkled on the Kiwis as Jadeja and the lower order waited in anticipation. Rohit Sharma shed his indifferent form to ram home the advantage with a 93-ball 68. The bowlers were tired after spending a significant amount of time under extremely humid conditions.
Sensing the need to score quickly in order to hasten the declaration, Jadeja flayed at the tired New Zealand attack and plundered a half-century at a strike-rate of 86.20. He even took the viewers to a trip down memory lane with his trademark sword-like celebration that had sent the Lord’s crowd into a tizzy during the 2014 series. Kohli decided to relieve the visitors of further duress by calling his batsmen back.
Turning them in
With the pitch turning square and the fielders surrounding them, the New Zealand batsmen had nowhere to go. Ashwin took the new ball alongside Mohammed Shami, even as Jadeja displaced the latter after a couple of overs.
One by one, they all succumbed to the wiles of spin. The action got so strenuous that the experienced Ross Taylor committed a rookie-level mistake by forgetting to ground his bat while sneaking in a second. Despite a brief resistance mounted by Luke Ronchi and Santner, India rode on the spinners as well as Shami’s searing reverse-swing to celebrate their landmark 500th Test with a comprehensive 197-run victory.
The moment of realisation
For his all-round exploits, Jadeja was named Player of the Match. On the other hand, Ashwin etched his name in the record books by becoming the second quickest bowler ever to complete 200 Test wickets.
A delighted Kohli singled out his team’s lower-order batting as the major differential factor. Amidst all the hype and hoopla surrounding the game, a rapidly evolving Indian side came up with a dominant performance to offer an appropriate tribute to the memorable occasion.
Just a natural number or not, they had celebrated the moment in a suitable manner.
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