“36/9”
“Key players missing out”
“How will India play at SCG now that Rohit Sharma is in? Will he be helpful to the team?”
“His average strike rate overseas is not great”
“MCG was a good win, but can they pull it again with new members in squad?”
A lot was said about team India. A lot of questions raised on selection, a lot on team management and the player stats. Australia was preparing its best squad to play at SCG and win the match after a loss at MCG. India was building a stronger squad to face them and take the series 2-1 after levelling the series 1-1 at MCG. As the day of the test came closer, the injury scare hovered on the squad. KL Rahul was ruled out due to wrist injury. We were one more player down. Media and fans had not left any stone unturned either. With the buzz around who will make it to playing XI, fans had their own stories to tell.
The Test begins!
It was the 3rd test but did not feel anything less than the first test. Fans were anxious and curious. Alarms were set and everyone was ready to watch the best teams fight it out to take an upper hand in the series. The 5 days at SCG was nothing less than a ride of emotions.
Waking up at 5 am on day 1 and blaming the rains at Sydney to ruin my sleep. It was Australia batting first and it looked dicey for India as wickets did not come in early and the batsmen were determined to put up a huge score on the board. The delay felt like a sword cutting through as after every break that was there, Australia came in harder at the bowlers. Day 2 onwards everything changed. Now the matches began at 4:30 am instead of 5 am and it promised a lot of stories in the coming days. Stories that did not just tell us what the players have got but the ones we will remember even after the match is over.
India’s revival at MCG told us a new story of team spirit and resilience. After a very disappointing loss, team had to get up on their feet and play it out. Moving to the third test, India’s team spirit and ‘never give up’ attitude was the talk of the town. Expectations from the team under new captaincy was higher than before and the belief shown in them was immense. A little bit aware of the fact that each player in the squad was there to make it count, some beautiful moments of pure joy and love for this game of cricket came from Australia’s side too.
Smith’s comeback was the highlighting moment in the first innings. He was criticized by the fans, media and people from the field for having low scores in the game and losing his wicket whenever Ashwin was bowling. His weakness was highlighted everywhere and it was bound to take a toll on him. This reminds me of the number of times people around us who raise questions on our abilities altogether irrespective of how it would affect us. Sometimes overcriticizing someone may lead to a downfall. When he scored his 100, it was a celebration! He built himself from the things said and gave it back each ball at a time. It had put India on backfoot but to watch him bat was a beautiful sight to witness. His innings taught us how we can turn off the white noise at times and sometimes feed on it to find your momentum. It was a story of getting up and taking your time but not giving up.
For India, the third test was nothing less than a storm of injuries to face. The whole saga till the fourth day left everyone in a confused state as both the teams had their own shares of good game time and a bad game time. It was the first time in the series that a test match was going to be played for all the 5 days and no one knew what to expect on the fifth day as India had experienced two major blows already with Rishabh pant and Ravindra Jadeja.
Rohit and Shubman’s, opening partnership helped India in both the innings. The approach that they stepped in with was not only amazing but inspiring. Under the pressure of chasing 407 runs in the second innings, they looked quite comfortable. Their presence gave us hope and made us believe that we have this game in our bags. Their partnership was not just about the runs they scored but the understanding that they shared as teammates, knowing the conditions and backing each other on the crease. They may have not turned it into big partnership but their start set the rhythm for the next one to come in. When we work in a team environment in our daily lives too, it is the responsibility of every member to understand each other and do their best to set a good stage for other members. We may not always do something big to make it better for the other teammate but small efforts and mindful approach helps. They told us what it is to walk in first and find your comfort. Their belief in themselves to face every ball bowled to them tells us a lot about the way one should approach challenges in life. Block some, pull some, drive some and face some of it. The key is to know what you are good at and back it up. The other key is to be aware of it and making it count.
The fifth day started as usual with Rahane and Pujara on the crease. Three possible results! Unsure of whether Pant and Jadeja would be playing, fans still woke up at 4:30 a.m. to support their team. Win/Lose or take it to a draw, everyone was in front of the screen to watch the skipper and the second wall of Indian cricket bat on Day 5. With a cup of tea/coffee we were all set and praying that our Wall did not break soon and skipper lead from the front. Not an ideal start for the last day with skipper losing his wicket. Told us of the times when performance pressure is high and you lose one of your front row artist.
Twist of fate, happened when Pant walked in at number 5. Unexpected. Walking in with an injured elbow needed some courage in a difficult innings of the game. His determination to play the innings and back himself on the field was commendable. The concentration he held at the crease, the way he timed his shots looked effortless. We all forgot for a second that he was batting with an injured elbow. He changed the course of the game. He was there to play it for the team, for the country and he batted with pure love and passion for the game. He changed the game with his mindset and gave us all a hope to hold on to. His innings was inspirational. If I have to quote my learning from that innings, I would just say :
“To the ones who are passionate about something, will find a way to through adversity. For, they do it for the joy it gives and not for the sake of it.”
Did not reach the milestone of 💯 but changed the course of the game for real. The aggressive approach, strong mindset, bounced the pressure back to Australia since morning! Looking at the challenge in the eye despite the adversities 👏 Head up young man! #AUSvIND#RishabhPant pic.twitter.com/toB4fDN3Am
— Beyond the Matches 🏏 (@beyondmatches) January 11, 2021
The second wall of India, Cheteshwar Pujara was holding the fort along with Pant. Where it was a fiery show from one end, he stood like a block of ice on the other end. The perfect example of ice and fire together! They knew their strengths and told us how destructive they can get together when they play their strength. It was not easy out there. Pant had to be on pain killers in order to play longer and Pujara had to defend as much as possible to let Pant play his natural game. Reminds me of the group projects in schools and colleges when most of the time it was one person doing the entire work and fatigue was real. It also reminds me of the group projects where everyone chipped in their best thoughts and made it easier to finish it. When we work with teams be it at school, college, sports, office or any other areas in life, it is important to support the other teammate’s natural working style rather than forcing them to change it entirely and adjust it as per the organization. When we force a change, we don’t get a desired result. Either we get the job done and lose the person or we get stuck along with the person without getting the job done. This innings talked more than just resilience and courage. It was about team dynamics and how everyone’s strength looks different yet leads to success as a team.
“You just can’t beat the person who won’t give up.”
Babe Ruth
The Walls of Steel, walked in right after our brilliant ice and fire duo had to walk back. Who knew in their wildest dreams that India’s this 6 and 7 would lead us to a draw? When they walked in, fans on social media had started accepting that India has lost this game. While some kept the hope alive, some sat there biting their nails and thinking what will happen on the next ball. So many supportive messages were shared for the players. Hanuma Vihari and Ravichandran Ashwin, the duo who took us to a draw were batting with injures and pain killers in their system. With Vihari walking in, there was a little hope alive but soon he pulled his hamstring which was a huge blow. Jadeja was padded up to bat with a broken thumb but these two had different plans in their bag. With an injured hamstring and an injured back, it looked next to impossible to survive and bat through the day. Every ball, the pain increased. Every few overs, the physio came in. There were too many runs possible but they had to hold the fort till evening and not let their next player come in. They took the blows, the bouncers, the fast balls and every other variation that was bowled with their head held high. Australia could not break their morale. With every tactic they tried, these two dug their foot deeper in the ground. It seemed impossible to get them out. They kept pushing it, one over at a time and soon, one ball at a time. Wincing through the pain, smiling at each other, looking after each other on the crease and motivating themselves and one another time to time. What a sight to witness live! Walls of steel for a reason! Their determination, courage, passion and resilience will be written and talked about for many more decades in the Indian Cricket History.
Test match is just a 5 day version of our daily lives if we look closely. Not everyone masters it and it takes time to understand it. Once someone gets that, they understand life in a different way and keep learning from each match that is played!
Urvi Shah (Author, Beyond the Matches)