T20s provide instant gratification but Tests the real thing

That didn’t happen. A top-order collapse – starting with two wickets in the first over - meant India were never realistically in the chase and went down by 87 runs. But the fact that the possibility of a target of 260 being chased down was realistically considered tells us everything one needs to know about the direction T20 cricket is going. 1 billion: The real story is the league’s revenue model It was not that Indian bowlers were particularly wayward on Friday.

The rules of the 20-over format and the conditions are so skewed in the batting team’s favour that often the bowlers are in for a hiding for nothing. They may get some joy in the first couple of overs – even snare a wicket or two – and may bowl the odd over in the rest of the inning that goes for four, five or seven runs, but they are often more than compensated by overs that go for 20s and, in the case of one on Friday, 30s.

It’s like the case when one goes to a casino – the house always wins. Bowlers in a T20 game usually focus on damage-limitation, going for as few runs as possible. Their prowess is generally measured by their economy rates. The best, such as Jasprit Bumrah, are judged by how carefully batsmen play against them. But Bumrah is an outlier and plays a handful of games anyway. The lesser mortals are likely to go into a T20 game thinking they may go around the park and if they are lucky, get a few wickets.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar made a comeback to international cricket on the back of two stellar seasons in the Indian Premier League, but quickly found out how tough life was. No level playing field With the full resources of 10 wickets at their disposal to be used in just 20 overs, while even the best bowler can bowl no more than four, the balance is skewed to start with. It allows the likes of Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi the licence to go for the jugular from the first ball, especially with just two fielders in the outfield for the opening six overs.

But it takes special skill and a specific mindset to do what they do. Throughout the history of cricket, the accepted sequence of events was: the bowler delivers the ball, and the batsman reacts to it. Nothing can happen unless the bowler lets go of the ball. They initiate the action by getting into the heads of the bowlers and the fielding captain. The focus shifts from getting the batsman out to restricting his scoring.

That’s a big win for one side even before a ball is bowled. The bowler may still get a batsman out, but that would likely be a result of an over-ambitious shot rather than some special quality in the delivery. Since the advent of the shortest format, batsmen and bowlers have been in a race to be a step ahead than the other. The ramps, scoops, reverse-sweeps and switch-hits have been countered with variations like the knuckleball, slow bouncer and wide yorker.

Data analysis has also become vital, to such an extent that hardly anything that happens out on the field is extempore. That’s why the largely scripted nature of T20 cricket makes the unrehearsed rhythm of Test cricket all the more fascinating. Five days is a long time and anything can, and often does, happen during this period. There may be stretches where nothing seemingly is happening – probably putting off the casual fan – but it’s the price one pays for a payoff at the end.

The longer the contest, the more chance of a team behind the 8 ball to make a comeback. In Friday’s T20I, the match was more or less decided when the Kiwis piled on a huge score and reduced India to 56/4 inside the Powerplay. But a Test match gives the opportunity to the trailing team to stop the bleeding, get back into the game, and if they stay in it long enough, to strike when they get a chance.

Natural rhythm In this regard, Test cricket is one sport which mirrors life the most with its ups and downs with its best practitioners willing to play the long game. Over five days, as in life, the one who’s standing in the end is the one reaping the reward. That’s why the greatest players take the greatest pride in their Test records. The white-ball formats seem automated in their rhythm with all the artificial regulations and restrictions.

Those who excel in T20, or often in One-Day Internationals, have to serve an apprenticeship before they can be deemed worthy to take on the challenges of Test cricket. Test cricket not only allows time and opportunity for a comeback in a game, but also in a series. Who can forget India’s remarkable comeback in Australia after being bowled out for 36 in the first Test to eventually win the series with most of their first-choice XI unavailable.

South Africa did likewise in the series that concluded on Saturday. After being handily beaten in the first Test, the Proteas were led from the front by a gritty century from skipper Temba Bavuma before running through the Aussies twice in a match that had very little game time over its first two days. T20 cricket is often described as fast food that provides instant gratification but won’t linger on the taste buds.

A good Test match, on the other hand, is a full-course meal that satiates the stomach as well as the soul. It’s also more exhausting – mentally, physically, emotionally – than a 20-over shootout could ever be. India may have won the T20 series in New Zealand and may go on to take the ODI series as well, which will be more relevant in the light of the 50-over World Cup in a year’s time. But in time, their success or otherwise on the tour will be judged by what they achieve in the subsequent two Tests, which will also go a long way in deciding their prospects for the World Test Championship final. Whatever the marketing men say, Tests are still the greatest and most important format of the game.