Events that make Adelaide Test 2014-15 a memorable one

Bhakti
Steve Smith Apologises to Varun Aaron after hitting him for a straigh four

Great character displayed by both Captains- Michael Clarke and Virat KohliI am an ardent fan and a happy follower of Test Cricket. I believe that it is the best form of cricket . Over the years Adelaide has produced some brilliant test matches and the first test match of 2014-15 Border Gavaskar trophy ranks right up there amongst the best. Apart from the exceptional display of mental and physical display by both teams, there were a few aberrations that made the Adelaide test a special one.

#1 Steve Smith and Varun Aaron

It would be wrong to say that post the Phil Hughes incident, the aggressive side of the cricketers on the field has taken a back seat but definitely the incident has inculcated in them a sense of protection. It has brought out their softer side and these elements actually add an emotional touch to the game which can be harsh on most occasions. One such moment was displayed by Steve Smith.

Steve Smith Apologises to Varun Aaron after hitting him for a straigh four

He along with Michael Clarke were looking to accelerate on the second day of the Adelaide test. Varun Aaron speeds in at 140kmph. Steve Smith was in a purple patch of his innings and hits the ball straight past the bowler for a smashing boundary.

What followed immediately is something one would never associate with any member of the Australian team. He raised his hand and apologized to Varun Aaron. The sorry was not for hitting the boundary but because the ball might have hit Varun Aaron right on the face if he dint move away in time. A gesture, I dare call it an "act of kindness" on hitting the bowler for runs is something that we rarely see.

Steve Smith was present on the crease when the ball struck Hughes and his untimely departure from the world has surely had an impact on the manner in which Australians will play cricket. A small simple gesture lent so much beauty to the test match.

#2 Virat Kohli and Mitchell Johnson

Virat Kohli walks in and takes guard. He is ready to face the first delivery and Mitchell Johnson steams in and delivers a bouncer which hits the Indian skipper right on the centre of his helmet. The obvious reaction would be a stare and exchange of a few words. "Welcome to the crease mate, you "ll go back very soon" is the kind of stuff you expect the aggressive tall fast bowler to dish out.

What actually happened on the pitch was totally unexpected. To everyone's surprise Johnson and many other Aussies walked up to Kohli to enquire if he was okay.

The events as they happened when a bouncer from Jhonson hit Kohli on the helmet.

It was Kohli who told them to carry on and that he felt okay. When we talk about Johnson, we mention words like fierce, rough, competitive, strong, but rarely do we say concerned.

It's amazing how one incident can actually change the mindset of people closely involved with it. This is completely atypical behavior of the Australian Cricket Team, but I must admit very heartening to see. This moment that caught everyone’s eye was definitely another instance that made the Adelaide test an extraordinary one

#3 No aggressive banter from the Aussies

Only recently the Austarlian captain Michael Clarke was involved in a sledging incident with England's James Anderson. In the Adelaide test he has not even come close to being involved. Steve Smith had accepted that he does like intimidating the batsmen with his distracting words but in the current test nothing but, "come on mate, wicket wicket" has been captured by the stump cameras.

It's been a quiet test match of sorts and the only explanation one can give is that Australians are still grieving the death of Hughes and trying to cope up with the circumstances.

Team Australia

In spite of this, cricket has been of top quality. David Warner’s classy tons, Nathan Lyon’s superb bowling effort, captaincy by stand-in captains of both teams, fabulous batting display by India in both the innings show that aggressive cricket can be played even without stares, exchange of foul words, and unnecessary gestures.

Is this a sign of things to come or not , cannot be said with certainty but it undeniably made this test match an exceptional one.

#4 The hyper aggressive Kohli playing peacemaker

The first 3 days of the test match were dominated by the batsman and the bowlers took a beating. This however did not bring out any in appropriate behavior. Cometh the 4th day and Australia were cruising to post a huge total for India to chase in the fourth innings.

Desperately in need of a wicket, Varun Aaron clean bowls the inform David Warner. The Indian celebrations lasted only for a few seconds as it was discovered that the delivery was a no-ball.

Warner walks back and eggs Aaron to get on with the game and go back to his run up. An already frustrated Aaron gets into an argument and for the first time in the match, things start to look ugly. But I suppose that the surprises thrown at us by the Adelaide test were not over.

Virat Kohli brings the situation under control.

Virat Kohli, known for his passionate and belligerent nature steps in and acts as a peacemaker. He has a word with Warner and calms down Varun Aaron too. He separates an angry Dhawan from Shane Watson and controls a situation which could have blown out of proportion.

It was a sight all Kohli fans will remember and behold for a long time. He behaved just like Dhoni would in any such situation and pleasantly stunned one and all. Standing in as captain in a high pressure test match, Kohli’s mature conduct has made this test match worth remembering a long way down the line.

#5 The emergence of Kohli as the captain

From the very first day Kohli has been vocal about his attitude towards the Australian tour. He has always maintained that their approach will be different; it will be tough and aggressive. In his debut test match as a captain, he displayed just that. In his post match presentation and also while chatting with Harsha Bhogle and Rahul Dravid, he expressed his thoughts on the test match and his words earned him a lot of respect from the experts, legends and fans.

He walked with his head held high. “If we had come out to play for a draw we would have lost by 150 runs”, is what he said. In his bold confident voice, he admitted that he told his boys to go out there and play to win. When everyone else was talking about saving a test match, he was thinking far ahead. He wanted to win and he almost did so. If only more batsmen stood with him on the other end, the result would have been different.

In spite of losing, he was a proud man, he backed his players and without blinking an eye said, “I have no regrets.” Virat Kohli did everything he could to give Indian fans a fantastic test match. To captain India is one thing but to do it with such prowess in the very first test is something else. He also played 2 innings, he will cherish for his lifetime.

Coming after a torrid series in England and playing like the bad patch never happened shows he is made of tough metal. The noteworthy point in his short stint is that he has embraced captaincy as a challenge and is facing it with vigor. He also doesn't seem to mind a few grey hairs and sleepless nights. http://bit.ly/1310pH

Virat Kohli- Captain of India in the Adelaide test

Inexperience might have beaten India leading to a loss but it is the beauty of Test match cricket that can sway fortunes in favour of any team, It is a game of sessions and Australia won 8-4 , thus emerging victorious.

Nobody expected India to perform the way they did, but test matches have it in them to alleviate the standards to another level. Few years down the line the scorecard will reflect an Aussie win but the match will be remembered for these extraordinary incidents and cricket’s fitting tribute to Phil hughes.

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Edited by Staff Editor