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It’s not even been a week but we have witnessed two young men rise to the occasion and announce their arrival in a fashion in which only heroes can. Both players were taking the places that belonged to stalwarts of their respective teams. The two stalwarts must have been their heroes as they conceived a dream of playing for their nation, therefore even bigger boots to step into. Comparisons were bound to happen and they did too, but it couldn’t take the sheen away from the knocks that are likely to be discussed for quite some time now. Yes, the young men are here to stay!
17th August, 2012: England were reeling at 54-4 in a contest they needed to win to restore their number one rank. They were without their star player – Kevin Pietersen but his absence wasn’t felt. The huge ‘text’ controversy was still afresh in every English mind as a popular topic of debate and discussion. The television commentators kept coming up with their opinions too but I’m speaking of his absence not being felt on that particular day in the English batting lineup. Now that’s quite a statement. Pietersen brings to the table a fine blend of style and substance, of grit and arrogance, of authority and control, all of these which were never seen before in English cricket. Pietersen is a special talent indeed. But we are here to talk of another man who proved himself to be special, ‘as special as Pietersen or not’ makes the discussion futile and pointless.
Bairstow came in on the back of a splendid ton he scored for the England Lions but his international appearances in the longest format made for little impact or impression. “History has it that special men choose special occasions to showcase their talent and such was the case of Bairstow as well. He was caught napping against Roach’s bouncers on his maiden Test tour and that reiterated the fact that Test cricket is a different ball game altogether. He worked hard and came back, just like a hero would in a movie. The flamboyance was kept under check to begin with, unleashed just when he needed to put the opponents against the wall; there was grit that stitched a wonderful knock and there was perfect control too, to keep all the batting elements under check. Fierce pulls, wristy flicks, strong cuts, everything was present that day, just like it always is when he turns up for Yorkshire. A ton would have been perfect but sometimes imperfections make the moment beautiful, to some extent, romantic as well and above all, makes us human because that is essentially what we all are. From the anxiety of trying to figure out what would happen to England without a Pietersen in the batting lineup, to the discovery of Bairstow at the Lord’s, it was nothing but a wonderful moment for an English fan. In the truest sense, it seemed to be the second debut for young Jonny. England welcomed a young man with a lot of warmth and the timing couldn’t have been better than this.
23rd August, 2012: Let transition be named something else for we have had enough of that word in recent times. Two of the most important names were missing from the Indian Test side after a very long time, something which we all spoke about but were afraid of facing. The only other time (in the last 16 years) the Indian Test outfit didn’t feature these two names together saw an annihilation (South Africa defeated India by an innings, 6 runs and a day to spare). The very thought of it was frightening. The think tank tossed up the best options possible and readied itself for the beginning of a new journey on a path unknown. The young men couldn’t have been served better as they began the rebuilding process on pitches and conditions known to them for years now. But there were spots to be taken which belonged to two people who made them their own with unimaginable hard work, inexplicable sustenance and a system which accepted successes and failures alike, for nothing should be taken for granted.
Kohli had been there in the setup for quite some time now (ODIs and T20Is) and had also recently exhibited his class and temperament in the longest format with his knocks down under. Until Laxman retired, Kohli was tipped to take Ganguly’s spot. It changed overnight with Laxman’s retirement. Dravid’s spot was left open and when Dhoni handed over the team list at the toss that had Pujara’s name, it was quite obvious that he would come in at number three, a position he is familiar with. His triple hundreds, match winning knocks and all that established him as the man for the future had come at that number. It was time to quickly elevate to the highest level and a few hours later, he had finished achieving that, or begun well to prove that?
Pujara celebrates his maiden Test ton.
In no time, the past transitioned to the future with Pujara and Kohli batting together, and India in a spot of bother. Kohli was at his confident best, as certain as he is when he plays with the colored clothing on. At the other end was Pujara, hardly bothered with what the world was speaking of. He quietly marked his guard and went about his business. His first boundary stamped his authority (fierce slap through the point area) and his second marked the ease with which he can pull the ball. Very soon, Pujara added one spoke after the other to his wagon wheel, with utmost ease and elegance. The control over his batting, the determination to do well and the hunger to score runs were there for everyone to see. In perhaps no time, we were treated with the scenes of a young man sporting a smile and raising his bat aloft to soak in all the accolades, the first of many more to come. It was an artistic hundred with fine brush strokes on the canvas, knowing exactly where to draw the margins and where to pour the colours. When Pujara walked off the field unbeaten at stumps, there were many who jumped into conclusions and pointless comparisons, “India finds the New Wall!”, “Pujara is the answer to Dravid!”, etc. But all that Pujara had mentioned before the match and now after the day’s play were still the same, “It was like a second debut for me.” Pujara must be well acquainted with the cricket fans and media in India and thus he should be able to shrug away all these from getting to his head.
To call Pujara the next Dravid is unjust to both, for it took Dravid a decade and a half to be what he is called today – A legend! To flood Pujara with comparisons to Dravid would only put him under undue pressure. It’s time to celebrate a classy hundred, on only its true merit. Special talent needs special attention and India must know that they need to preserve and nurture this talent well. Like a wise man once mentioned, “For life in more ways than one, is about additions and not substitutions.”
Welcome to Test cricket, Bairstow and Pujara! May this be the first of many more to come.
This article was written on 24th August and speaks of the arrival of two young men who promise us a bright future. Shirshendu writes at http://shirshenduroy.blogspot.in/
