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Five minutes into the standard tea time, a wave of cheer swept the rain-swept ground. An army of groundsmen sprinted to peel off the drenched tarpaulin sheets, baring the soggy Hessians underneath, that had sheltered the main square from the rain that only paused briefly throughout the day. The sheets were rolled to the side like a cigarette. The umpires and other officials studied the surface around the square, especially a couple of slushy patches around the crease. The moment they walked back, the ground-staff started to unroll the sheets. Twenty minutes later, the inevitable news arrived, that the day had been called off. The crowd lingered, enthusiastically waving towards the Indian dressing room, before the skies turned grim. Grimmer news awaited them, as the weather is expected to remain the same throughout the duration of the Test. But they wouldn’t fret over the elements, at least this early, because the drainage system in Bangalore is postmodern, unlike the archaic one in Kanpur. Powered by the 200-horsepower machine conceived by US-based SubAir, which could suck 10,000 litres of water per minute, they have seen the outfield getting dried up in minutes in the IPL and the World Cup. Besides, the Kanpur heist is still fresh in their memory. The victory has instilled a faith in the audience that India could breathe life into a dead game and carve a victory from impossible causes. The pursuit of victory is relentless — WTC final or not. All India required was 173 overs, less than two days literally, to etch the win over Bangladesh. New Zealand could offer stiffer resistance, especially their seamers under the cloud cover on a moist surface. But another stat would enthuse them — that only four of the 19 Tests have lasted the full five days. Of those, two of them had lengthy rain interruptions. Seven of them, that is nearly one third, finished in three or fewer days. 🚨 Update from Bengaluru 🚨 Day 1 of the 1st #INDvNZ Test has been called off due to rain. Toss to take place at 8:45 AM IST on Day 2 Start of Play: 9:15 AM IST #TeamIndia | @IDFCFIRSTBank pic.twitter.com/RzmBvduPqr — BCCI (@BCCI) October 16, 2024 So it’s premature to worry about a dull draw that could dampen their prospects of sealing a third successive spot in the World Test Championship final. The equation is straightforward: India require to win three of their next eight Tests. But five of them are in Australia. Not that India are ill-equipped to win the series in Australia or at least pinch a couple of Tests. But Rohit Sharma and Co. would want to wrap up the business at the earliest, and at home, where they have been invincible in their last 18 series. Landing in Australia with the place sealed would be a monkey off their backs. The circumstances, thus, are ideal for a Kanpur encore, even if that is not set in stone. Both Rohit Sharma and Gautam Gambhir had downplayed their Kanpur approach. “We look to adapt to whatever possible situation we have in front of us. We will try and make the most of that situation. Then we would try and see how we can press the pedal and take the game forward,” he had said on the eve of the match. But, the fickle weather and the quest of a victory could force them to hit the fifth gear from the start. It’s not playstation cricket to sustain high levels of aggression throughout a Test match. But Gambhir definitely has the personnel — a wondrously flexible group that could storm a team to submission, in as much as the same way they can spell them a slow death. A bunch that could execute any plan they devise on the strategy table. If they are rear-guarding, they have those that could knuckle down and dead-bat for sessions on end, even though such situations have been rare in recent times; if they are hunting for quick runs, they have the personnel to plunder quick runs. From Rohit to Ravi Ashwin, they have a core of batsmen who could effortlessly shift through the gears, those that could be as relentlessly aggressive as England, if they decide to. The Kanpur exhibition was just a sample dose of the supreme stroke-making ability the team possesses. It’s still raining here in Bengaluru 🌧️ The wait continues ⏳ The first session has unfortunately been washed out. Match Centre – #TeamIndia | #INDvNZ | @IDFCFIRSTBank pic.twitter.com/BUDWJ8Mw1v — BCCI (@BCCI) October 16, 2024 If batsmen could alternate their approaches, so could their bowlers. They could toggle between offence and defence, even though they are all primarily attacking bowlers, pressing and probing for wickets. The collective intensity is staggering. If the batsmen somehow stave off Jasprit Bumrah, a rare occurrence these days, Mohammed Siraj and Akash Deep would daunt on them. All three could pull off the strike-bowler role, all three could perform the workhorse duty too. So are the spinners, the most destructive spin-tango in India’s cricket history. “That’s called growth. That’s called adaptability and that’s called Test cricket. If you play the same way, then it’s not growth,” coach Gambhir would say. That would be ample encouragement for the crowd to hit the stands despite the unpleasant weather forecast. None
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