Too early for an Obituary

Several people especially in India are quick to write the obituary of Test matches.Look at number of people viewing test matches, they say.What they do not seem to notice is that even when most of these ODI and 20:20 followers are asleep on 26th of December,thousands of Indians get up to watch what is usually a neutral Test for them.Thousands of Melbourne folks are at the MCG and Test Match is played in its best atmosphere. The next best is perhaps in the UK.It is fitting that these countries boast of the longest Test Tradition.

It is therefore befitting the tradition that India and england are involved in a marquee series that has the potential of anointing a new no.1 in the World Cup Year.India was the defending Test No.1 and a simple victory or a Drawn Series from position of strength would not have the same kind of impact as this one from a match down can have.

This is a series where the Radio coverage is missing on All India Radio.As the test Match special is available only on the net, the vast cricket following class in the rural areas with intermittent electricity and no free to air terrestrial broadcast on TV is generally left out.There was a time when the "away" ODIs were not covered by AIR and Doordarshan and now the away tests are not covered on Doordarshan and crazily enough ECB has chosen to sell Radio rights of a Test series involving India to an agency which do not have any means of broadcasting.As only Akashvani(and not the T&T version)can broadcast live news and, cricket is news legally, speaks poorly of ECB's marketing department.In effect it has shrunk the size of the possible followers of the series.

Centuries by a debutante and a veteran

Two centuries, one by Kirk Edwards in his first Test and one by Chanderpaul,the most capped west Indies player helped the West Indies to draw the third Test. Helped by the weather, the West Indies managed to draw two tests against the Number one side in the World. A drawn series against Pakistan and a hard fought series against India and the impressive crowd in Dominica augur well for the West Indies cricket.The news of their demise were rather exaggerated, just like decline of cricket in England.

West Indies competitive

With responsive and bowling friendly wickets,suddenly the West Indies appear competitive.Had it not been for Dravid and Laxman, India would have been trailing.What it essentially means is that the West Indies have caught up as far as bowling goes.That Andre Russell, Jerome Taylor and Kemar roach cannot get selected means that the West indies have a bowling which can be competitive.This brings into perspective that even in those helmetless days Lloyd's team was great because of Richards,Fredericks, Greenidge,Gomes, Kallicharan, Haynes and Lloyd rather than the bowlers.With batsmen like those Edwards and company can rattle any opposition.They also have Bishoo.So it is up to Bravo, Barath and company to forge pasures new.Moreover, if cricketers will like to live in Miami and play in the West Indies, cricket as a cultural institution gets weakened.It is not an accident that India has become a cricketing superpower in an age in which more Americans work with work permit in india than Indians in the USA.There was a time that players like Uday Joshi and Dilip Doshi would play County championship to make a living.Today even a full ranji season provides for comfortable living.