Top 5 Test matches of 2014
Cricket fans who follow Test matches closely will definitely be familiar with the question, “Why do you watch this boring Test match ball-by-ball? What is so interesting in seeing the batsman just defending ball after ball? Why can’t you just keep track of the scores alone?”.A die hard fan of Test cricket can only laugh at these questions. Explaining why a Test match is interesting is difficult and one can only understand when they start following Test cricket. Test cricket is not about batsman defending ball after ball. It is about a test of skill and character, about playing on a consistent basis session after session, about grit and determination, about tackling the various faces shown by the pitch as the Test match approaches the final day. A genuine cricket enthusiast will accept that no other format can come close to the 5-day format. A Test match need not have a close finish for it to be interesting. A team fighting it out in its final innings on the final day of a Test match to salvage a draw can be as interesting as a close encounter, as illustrated by the clash between South Africa and Australia at Adelaide in 2012. Here’s a look at the 5 best Test matches of the year:
#5 Australia vs India, 1st Test, Adelaide
The tragic death of Phillip Hughes just a few days before the opening Test made the administrators shift the venue of the first Test from Brisbane to Adelaide. Many believed that this was a blessing in disguise for India as the Adelaide pitch has traditionally been sub-continental in nature. Everyone had a doubt about how aggressive the players would be on the field given Hughes’ unfortunate demise.
Australia won the toss and opted to bat first. David Warner, Steven Smith and Michael Clarke scored centuries, taking advantage of a lackluster Indian bowling performance, and they declared the first innings at 517 for the loss of 7 wickets. The Indian batsmen had a huge task in front of them.
Shikhar Dhawan could not survive for a long time, and he departed for a quick-fire 30. Vijay and Pujara managed to get starts, but they couldn’t make it big. Their captain Virat Kohli was greeted with a Mitchell Johnson bouncer which hit him in the head and caused concerns among the Australians.
Kohli was clearly up against it, but he came back strong to pile a good century on his Test captaincy debut. The lower-order couldn’t contribute much, and they could manage only a score of 444 in reply to Australia’s 517.
Since rain had affected a major part of the second day’s play, the Australians had to bat quickly and declare as soon as possible to give themselves a chance of taking a 1-0 lead in the four-match series.
Warner scored a century once again, and Smith & Mitchell Marsh contributed with quick-fire knocks, helping the Australians get to a score of 290 for the loss of 5 wickets at the end of day four. Their bowlers had 98 overs to bowl India out.
The Indians were not in a good position coming into day five, and not many gave them a chance of managing a draw. But their captain had other ideas. Vijay and Kohli put on a historic partnership to take the Indians to a strong position at 205 /2 going into tea at day five.
A historic victory was there for the taking for the Indian batsmen. But a dramatic collapse followed in the final session, and Lyon used the rough very well to dislodge the Indians for a score of 315, falling short of the target by 49 runs. Kohli’s twin tons were in vain as they couldn’t manage to cross the line. Nevertheless, they made their fans proud by going after the target and putting up a great fight on the final day.