Great memories of testing cricket in the Caribbean

It was the summer of Franklin Rose and Shivnarine Chanderpaul. It was the summer of Navjot Singh Sidhu’s Snail Rhythm 201 in Port of Spain. It was in that summer that an Indian batting lineup with Mohammad Azharuddin, Rahul Dravid, Sourav Ganguly, VVS Laxman, and Sachin Tendulkar failed to chase 120 on the undulating lawn of Barbados with an independent team on the right side. A series, all other games ended in a tie.

It was the summer of 1997, and that year I fell in love with cricket games in the Caribbean.

For many reasons, I fondly remember the test stage of the 1997 West Indies Tour in India. This is the first series I watched on a pay cable network-a luxury at the time-on a small portable color TV that my grandparents brought home, who just returned to Chennai five years later . It is called “The Calypso Series”, and the game day starts at 7:30 pm (Indian Standard Time), one hour before dinner, and about one hour after I finish school homework. This was the first five test series I watched as a young cricket fan. In the end, I was more fascinated by test cricket than before.

The series also introduced me to the eccentric talent of Geoffrey Boycott as a commentator. In my 11-year-old ears, his Yorkshire accent sounds very exotic, and the way he digs the car keys into the ticket gate every morning during pitch reports is fascinating. In the comment box, Boycott accompanied (and others) Sunil Gavaskar, the eloquent Mark Nicholas, and the late Tony Cozier, who have been famous voices in the Caribbean for many years in the cricket circle, and they have treated me The deep understanding of the growing game achieves appreciation and appreciation.

Since the 1997 series, I’ve started to connect Caribbean cricket with other things I know and love about West Indies and West Indian cricketers: beautiful sun-drenched beaches, fragments of which were once in Excessive display during and between wine breaks; Big rum, which became my favorite drink shortly after I picked up the glass for the first time; Often interrupted the music on test day, regardless of whether the home team is leading or not; Michael · Holder’s soft feather-like voice, he is one of my favorite critics today; the talent and free spirit of West Indies hitters; and the speed and heart of West Indies rapid bowling.

In addition, my memories of the performance of some outstanding Indian cricketers in the West Indies also inspired my love for Caribbean cricket. As I was growing up, I heard the story about how great Sunil Gavaskar’s powerful fast bowling attack on the West Indies in his time was-13 of his 34 test centuries were against them, and seven were against them. His own backyard-and how Mohinder Amarnath, who refused to wear a helmet despite being hit on the head many times in a cricket match, refused to take a step back.

Years later, I will see Rahul Dravid being hit in the chin by a Mervyn Dillon bodyguard in Georgetown, but fighting to save a test match to stay unbeaten at 144. In fact, when I think of Dravid, my favorite Indian cricket player, hitting a ball in the West Indies, I remember his brave efforts and his defense in winning the game in the Kingston Mines in 2006 Master class.

Just like the story of courage on the cricket court, Anil Kumble used a bandage chin spell in the Antigua Test in 2002, during which time he owned Brian Lara LBW and was the best. Nevertheless, this single spell should not replace the fact that Kumble has performed well in the West Indies overall. For example, his overall contribution to India’s series victory is as important as captain Dravid’s half-century in the Kingston Test. . year 2006.

It is difficult to list the outstanding performances of West Indies batsmen at home because there are too many, even if I only consider players I have seen. Except for Brian Lara’s three tournaments (his record-breaking 375 times, his record-breaking 400 times ten years later, and his 153 times in years of pursuit), every time I just glimpses, and countless guards It was carefully planned by Shivnarine Chanderpaul, because when his team was in desperation, my favorite West Indian shot from the West Indies was still Carl Hooper’s game against India’s Silk 233 in the Guyana Test in 2002. During this period, Dravid achieved the above 144. This is the captain’s knock from Hooper. He was eliminated at the beginning of the game-this is a work of art made by a drowsy man, without traces of violence. It is generally considered his skills and talents. Far below what he promised.

As for the unforgettable bowling performance, what I immediately thought of-because it left me with permanent scars-was the ruthless demolition of India by Curtly Ambrose, Franklin Rose and Ian Bishop mentioned at the beginning of the Barbados test in 1997. jobs. sheet. Other clinical executions of the opponent’s batting lineup also came to mind, including Ambrose’s 6-24, which beat England by 46 in the 1994 Port of Spain Test, and Jerome Taylor’s 5-11, which Let England (again!) sprint to 51 in the 2009 Jamaica Test.

The cricket test in the Caribbean today is a far cry from what it was in the 2000s, when the West Indies were still a force in this form, at least at home. However, since then, many preferred players have only participated in limited cricket matches-and usually before the ICC Championship-otherwise they have won their support in T20 leagues around the world. Over the past ten years or so, game management on the island has also been questioned.

Of course, it is undeniable that the current West Indies test team-until recently ably led by Jason Holder and now captained by Kraigg Brathwaite-has performed well in the past few years: including a series of draws in England 2017 In 2019, he won a full-scale series victory against the same opponent at home in 2019, as well as an outstanding performance of 2-0 in Bangladesh against Bangladesh earlier this year-the highlight of which was performed at the rotating wicket Incredible fourth game chase.

One only hopes that such a performance will rekindle the enthusiasm for testing cricket on the sunny beaches of the Caribbean, despite the recent 2-0 loss to South Africa at home, among players and fans.

Srinivas

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