Who says test cricket is boring this is the most fascinating format of cricket yes there is plenty of T20 cricket and T10 and many other leagues but test format has it own but unique flavor. We have seen another see-saw battle between bat and ball, experience and commitment and solid defense and great variations but after all cricket was a real winner.
I am talking about the great contest between India Vs New Zealand a test match to remember in Green Park Kanpur where New Zealand just denied India to sneak a victory and to go 1-0 up in the series by some great resilience and grit.In cricket they say it's never done until it's done and there was a great example of that. Let's talk in details.
Shreyas Iyer's magnificent debut
Shreyas Iyer is one of the finest batsmen in Indian cricket and finally he got an opportunity in the toughest format and there can't be a better start than this. He stepped up in his very 1st match when the team needed the most he scored a scintillating hundred in 1st innings to get his team to a good total. Then in the 2nd innings when India was 42/3 he played great hands and scored a fifty to give strength to his side. On the side New Zealand openers did well in the 1st innings Will Young scored 89 and Tom Latham scored 95 but after that, no one could stand up and Axar Patel ripped through the batting lineup of Kiwis and got another 5 wicket haul. At one moment New Zealand was 151/1 and then 295 all out.
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The battle of survival
India declared their 2nd innings on 237/7 and set the target of 283 which was looking really tough to chase. New Zealand lost Will Young early and Day 4 was finished on 4/1.
On the last day India required 9 wickets to win and Will Somerwhile the night watchman was there Tom Latham and Somerwhile played the 1st session without losing a wicket against a quality spin trio.1st ball of the 2nd session produced a wicket for India on the ball of Umesh Yadav after that India started to believe. Ashwin got set Latham and then Jadeja pinned Ross Taylor in front of the stumps just before the tea.
In the last session, India needed 6 wickets and Axar started with the bang he got Nichollas after that Jadeja got the prized wicket of Kane Williamson. In the last hour, India required 3 wickets and then another debutant Rachin Ravindra showed great temperament and grit and hold the nerves against the quality spin attack and under immense pressure. He played 91 balls to save the test match for his side and the match ended in a draw so he is another impressive young man and has a great future ahead.
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| Rachin Ravindra |
Tom Latham was another unsung hero for New Zealand this who played a major role in this match by scoring fifties in both innings. So that was one of the great contests of 2021 and we are heading towards the next match in Mumbai.
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| Tom Latham |
Problem for India
Virat was rested in the T20 series and in 1st test also but now he will make a comeback in the next match as captain and it will create problems for India because Shreyas Iyer made a wonderful debut and can't be dropped on the other side 2 senior members of India are in worst form Ajinkiya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara and it can be hard for them to find a place in the team. Ajinkiya Rahane is under the pump and he could be the one who should make way for Virat Kohli because after that memorable hundred in Australia he is out of nick and is not getting runs in the home series also. So let's see how they manage the combination for the 2nd test.
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Pakistan Vs Bangladesh
Another great test match has finished in Chattogram and Pakistan got the lead in the series by 1-0 up. It has been a great match also where Bangladesh scored 330 in the 1st innings and Pakistani openers played well and put the partnership of 146 and then Taijul Islam destroyed the batting line up of Pakistan by getting 7 wickets. Pakistan was all out on just 286 but Shaheen Shah Afridi was ruthless with the new ball. He got 3 wickets upfront and Bangladesh was 30/4 and Pakistan was right back on the track. on the 4th Day, Pakistan didn't allow them to settle and got them on just 157 runs on the board while the lead was 201. Liton Das once again proved his worth by scoring fifty and Shaheen Afridi got fifer for his team. Hassan Ali in the 1st innings and Shaheen in the 2nd innings got fifers on the wicket which was spin-friendly it proved their worth.
Scintillating Debut of Abdullah Shafique
The people hate Misbah due to his approach but this is a bitter truth that he gave some players to Pakistan Team and they are playing some exceptional cricket.
1st he got back Fawad Alam in test team 2nd Rizwan as an opener in T20 and he backed him in tests also and Rizwan is justifying his selection in every position.
The 3rd and the last one is Abdullah Shafique a batsman who has just played a single first-class match but was traveling with the team past one year. Now he got the chance and proved his worth also he is having all the sources to play test cricket the defense, grit, and temperament.He looks like a really solid batsman and technically really sound on the other side Abid Ali also got back to the runs and played a huge role in this match.
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| Abid Ali and Abdullah Shafique |
He scored a great hundred in 1st innings and played a great hand in 2nd innings also we all know that chase could be a tricky one in the last innings but they both played really well and didn't give a single chance to the home side to get through and Pakistan got over the line with 8 wickets to spare. So Pakistan is right on track in test cricket also but Bangladesh also played well and deserves some credit. So great test cricket is going on and there is another series also between West Indies Vs Sri Lanka has started. Sri Lanka is 1-0 up and they are having a very good chance to win the series also.
So that's it from us you can visit us at www.cric-talk.com