A 'Test' of patience and determination

“Reigning World Cup and Champions Trophy champions and World Cup T20 finalists”. The CV of Indian cricket team doesn’t look all that bad but hang on, this is just a part of whole picture. What about tests and where do Indian cricket team stand there? If we go by current test rankings India ranks a lowly 4th after South Africa, Australia, and Pakistan. The difference between South Africa and India is huge -22 points. Why is South Africa on top? What makes them so special? It’s simply because they aren’t dependent on conditions to win them matches, they have players who can score runs and take wickets all over the world. Does that mean South Africans are better players than Indians? Not really, they have the determination and grit to stick it out for whole 5 days and grind their way to win. Their recent series win in adverse Sri-Lankan condition is prime example.
Test cricket is unlike ODI or T20 where you show a moment or two of brilliance and the game ir yours for the taking. In tests you need to persist for whole five days and gradually and steadily build the match. In tests you need Dravids and Swanns to win the game rather than Pollards and Narines. Indian players shaped and molded by IPL rarely show the fortitude required at the highest level. You could argue that India won 6 matches on trot defeating Australia (4) and West Indies (2) but the matches were contested on a placid Indian tracks where Indian batsmen see cricket balls like football and Indian spinners tweak the hell out of opposing batsmen. It is only when we tour overseas that the veil hiding our weaknesses is exposed. Be it bouncers, sledging or toe breaking yorkers you can’t make them go away in tests, they will be hurled at you 5 days straight ( obviously only if you bat well enough to last 5 days). Many Indian batsmen are found wanting in this regard, they assume leaving a ball outside off stump is a cardinal sin and ducking under a searing bouncer is a sign of submission. But alas, it is hardly true tests are bowlers hunting field, they will hunt you like a famished lion, your one mistake can make you watch the rest of the match from television screen. So respecting bowlers is a must and for it you need patience and determination. For Indian bowlers who are so used to being hammered in Indian conditions, life doesn’t get any easier. They forget that their primary job is to pick wickets than restrict runs and only if you 20 wickets can you win the match. Flatter trajectory, slower balls, negative line, etc are all fine when it comes to limited overs but when it comes to tests batsmen have all the time in the world to block. As a bowler you too need to persist with good line and length until you get wickets. It is essentially a cat and a mouse chase with both bowlers and batsmen playing waiting game. This is where it all gets interesting, like a game of chess one wrong move and you say good bye to your king.