The true meaning of Test Cricket: Lessons for the Indian Team

Guts & Patience: Soaking the Pressure & Toughing it out

Rahul Dravid epitomized grit, guts, gumption & glory

It’s one thing to play according to the situation of the match. But what happens when the opposition is constantly coming hard at you? Suddenly you find yourselves in two minds: attack or defend?

Your scoring areas are plugged up, you’ve spent nearly three hours without a run added to the scoreboard, and you’re getting frustrated. Sound eerily familiar? This young Indian squad is facing just that kind of stark reality, and succumbing to it.

The purpose of Test cricket is exactly what it is named for – toughing it out in the middle despite seemingly overwhelming odds. It’s about being extremely patient and keeping things moving. I wouldn’t be in favour of hitting your way out of deep trouble; while it has proven to be effective at times, it should never be your primary aim in the five-day version.

Depending on pitch conditions & the quality of the opposition, chasing smaller targets with two full days in hand should ideally be simple. However, this works only if you have the guts to hang in for long periods, soaking in all the pressure, and pushing the score along.

The likes of Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman achieved phenomenal success in their distinguished careers in white flannels mostly because they had immense levels of patience to fight pressure with everything they had in them. Steve Waugh’s stubborn resistance in his final Test match also stands out in everyone’s memory.

While it is necessary to give this fledgling young side of Kohli’s ample time to re-assess and re-calibrate their game, it is also important to remember that time may be running out for a few of them. Nevertheless, having guts and patience is a form of aggressive cricket – simple and far more effective than smashing everything in sight – a brand of the game that India will do well to relearn.