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On November 2 - Diwali weekend - India worked desperately hard to defend
383 against Australia in Bangalore. Next morning, nine bleary-eyed
India cricketers were on a long flight to Kolkata for a Test series that
would begin in fewer than 72 hours. Luckily for them the flight wasn't
heavily booked, and the logistics manager could arrange for Shikhar
Dhawan and Virat Kohli to move to the first-class section so that MS
Dhoni could spread himself out on three seats and get some sleep.
There were to be a total of two training sessions before this series
against West Indies. The Tests were arranged because the BCCI reportedly
wanted to punish CSA for appointing a CEO it didn't like, and at the
same time couldn't have its players sit at home during peak season. So
onwards we went towards a series with no build-up or context or
duration. Two training sessions before the two Tests each, and boom, in
two weeks the series is over. Although, on the duration front it might
be as good as it gets with the BCCI: India's next three series are two
Tests each.
Down in Kolkata, though, ground reality has changed. This, you see,
happens to be Sachin Tendulkar's last international series. One thousand
people lined up to welcome him at the Kolkata airport, and hundreds
waited outside Eden Gardens on a work day to catch a glimpse of
Tendulkar after one of the two practice sessions. This series is one
last burden for Tendulkar, one last thing for him to carry on his
shoulders alone, like the Indian team of the '90s.
This series has sprung up so randomly that there cannot be any other
storyline. Time is central to Test cricket. The fan needs time to build
up anticipation for a Test series, to think of possible contests, to
play them out in the mind, to follow the form of the visitors in the
practice games, to start thinking of match XIs as the first Test comes
around. This series has had none of it. It's more like, "Pleased to meet
you, now heads or tails?"
Or rather, Tendulkar or Eden? For that's what the sides of the coin for
the toss will be. And you can only hope that once the toss has happened
the quality of cricket makes up for this series - well - being there.
There is no better way to classify its existence. Put the Tendulkar
retirement aside, and it's just there.
The cricket better be good because it is always going to be compared to
what would have happened had West Indies not been the only team free in
the world at this time of the year. The opportunity cost will always
crop up. West Indies would have chilled, and India would have been
preparing for a proper tour of South Africa, and not starting a Test
series three days after finishing an ODI runathon against Australia.
Now that the series is here, it is time to look beyond Tendulkar too. He
remains a fascinating story even without the retirement. His last Test
century came in 2010-11 in Cape Town, after which he has played some
good innings - against West Indies in the chase in Delhi, in Melbourne
and Sydney, in Chennai against Australia, a fighting 76 against England
right here in Kolkata - but he has failed to turn them into big ones.
Even if he hadn't been retiring, Tendulkar would have made for
interesting viewing.
Beyond Tendulkar is another milestone man, the quiet Shivnarine Chanderpaul,
who will play his 150th Test in Mumbai. Surely no one has challenged
the cricket-is-a-side-on-game tenet for longer and with better results?
He is also a known India slayer. Well, slaying is too violent a term for
what Chanderpaul does, but you get the idea, with a fourth of his 28
Test centuries coming against India in just 23 Tests out of 148. He
averages 66 against his favourite opposition, compared to 52 overall.
And unlike Tendulkar, he doesn't seem to have plans of retiring anytime
soon.
There is an upside to this, though. Players from both sides will know
that performances in this series will not go forgotten. Everyone will
remember the bloke who scored a hundred in Tendulkar's last Test, no
Indian fan will forget the man who gets Shivnarine Chanderpaul early in
his 150th, and glory is his who can be the modern Eric Hollies.
Despite there being precious little to recommend this series by, apart
from Tendulkar and Chanderpaul, what it has going for it is the relief
it will bring after the batting pornography
that played out in India over the last month. There will be consequence
attached to big shots here. The ball will swing more, turn more, and
reverse when it ages. Chanderpaul and Cheteshwar and anyone who puts a
price on his wicket will be welcome sights. R Ashwin can go back to
working batsmen out as opposed to finding ways to concede as few sixes
as possible; Kemar Roach's pace will be respected and not flayed. Chris
Gayle and Shikhar Dhawan might want to upset the pace a bit, but they
will do so after weighing up the massive consequences of an early wicket
in a Test match.
And if it doesn't go to plan, you can always wear the Tendulkar mask you
will be given on the first day, reminisce, enjoy his farewell, and put
the burden of this series on his shoulders.
Sidharth Monga is an assistant editor at ESPNcricinfo
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© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
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