Test Cricket is Best Cricket

[Gollum]

Seriously guys whether we win or lose this match/series there is something in this beautiful format which white ball cricket can never match.

 

The ebbs and flows, twists and turns, ruthless examination of technique and mental toughness, endurance , patience and tactics/strategy. It is like three dimensional classical chess with so many permutations and combinations possible. Not wanting to drag in other sports but can tell you T20s and T50s lack this complexity which is inbuilt in test cricket. Like literally there are 100 different ways this match may proceed over the remaining days unlike in shorter formats which are so predictable. Also every run, * that ....... every safely negotiated over of Anderson-Broad  with the brand new cherry will be cheered by all of us tomorrow, a wicketless 25 overs opening partnership will have more worth than middle order 100s. Damn it the soundtrack of 'Dunkirk' won't stop playing in my ears thinking about the job at hand for the top 3 and the survival theme. 

 

Have been waiting for this tour for a long time and what a first day !!! Haven't slept for 36 hours now and the adrenaline is still pumping. Will be caught up in work the whole week but honestly can't help but check at least the live commentary every 5 minutes. Will try to watch at least a session and a half of play live every day and if I have to sacrifice my sleep well worth it. Already in my eyes this single day's cricket had richer content than all the 6 white ball matches of the last month put together. Agree with Holding who said earlier today 'The cricket starts now'......... All hail Test cricket- lucky to have learnt to love this format. Win or lose hope we have a great month and a half cheering this fantastic Indian team under the majestic King Kohli !!!

Edited August 1, 2018 by Gollum

[Vilander]

8 minutes ago, Gollum said:

Seriously guys whether we win or lose this match/series there is something in this beautiful format which white ball cricket can never match.

 

The ebbs and flows, twists and turns, ruthless examination of technique and mental toughness, endurance , patience and tactics/strategy. It is like three dimensional classical chess with so many permutations and combinations possible. Not wanting to drag in other sports but can tell you T20s and T50s lack this complexity which is inbuilt in test cricket. Like literally there are 100 different ways this match may proceed over the remaining days unlike in shorter formats which are so predictable. Also every run, * that ....... every safely negotiated over of Anderson-Broad  with the brand new cherry will be cheered by all of us tomorrow, a wicketless 25 overs opening partnership will have more worth than middle order 100s. Damn it the soundtrack of 'Dunkirk' won't stop playing in my ears thinking about the job at hand for the top 3 and the survival theme. 

 

Have been waiting for this tour for a long time and what a first day !!! Haven't slept for 36 hours now and the adrenaline is still pumping. Will be caught up in work the whole week but honestly can't help but check at least the live commentary every 5 minutes. Will try to watch at least a session and a half of play live every day and if I have to sacrifice my sleep well worth it. Already in my eyes this single day's cricket had richer content than all the 6 white ball matches of the last month put together. Agree with Holding who said earlier today 'The cricket starts now'......... All hail Test cricket- lucky to have learnt to love this format. Win or lose hope we have a great month and a half cheering this fantastic Indian team under the majestic King Kohli !!!

test cricket is amazing for those who know the subtleties, nothing else comes close no other sport..more variants than chess and Chess does not give 1  on 1 confrontations meaning two coins dont have extended duel..its like chess with actual tactical battle game in it. Test cricket captain is a very demanding and satisfying role to play.

[Ankit_sharma03]

absolutely

IF 2 teams at par play against each other.......nothing better then test .

Ind-SA was also gr8 to watch

[Gollum]

41 minutes ago, Vilander said:

test cricket is amazing for those who know the subtleties, nothing else comes close no other sport..more variants than chess and Chess does not give 1  on 1 confrontations meaning two coins dont have extended duel..its like chess with actual tactical battle game in it. Test cricket captain is a very demanding and satisfying role to play.

Chess has many variations , more than we can even imagine. There are studies which theorize that chess has more possible moves than the number of atoms in the known, observable universe. Shannon number

 

But agree with the broad sentiment of your post. No other sport is as close to chess on the tactical/strategic level as test cricket and test captain's job is so demanding. Footballers, NBA and field hockey players can't get 5 minutes of play on their own without the coach barking instructions. In test cricket the captain is all alone marshaling his men for 5 days...like an Army General. It is no surprise that chess masters take keen interest in test cricket. There is a super GM Peter Svidler (8 times Russian Champion...all time highest) who is a great fan of test cricket and frequently uses cricket analogies while explaining chess moves. He follows all forms of FC games and a few years back rattled out the names of all FC cricketers of Zimbabwe during live chess commentary broadcast. He is also the sole Russian commentator of cricket in his free time on radio  Peter Svidler - A Russian Grandmaster who loves cricket and Sachin Tendulkar!

Edited August 1, 2018 by Gollum

[Gollum]

I don't follow TMS but I think Svidler even made an appearance there.

Edited August 1, 2018 by Gollum

[WeStMiDz]

Some guys on here wanted to switch off after 6 overs. It seems like 10 over cricket is not for them let alone test cricket. 

[velu]

i created a thread 2/3 years back , "Test cricket is for gays" and it got deleted

 

[Rasgulla]

 ewww

 

Tests are for oldies who has whole day to watch it.  

 

It's all about tonty tonty these days even Odis are boring these days. All tnx to bambi mafia. 

Edited August 1, 2018 by Rasgulla

[Vilander]

14 hours ago, velu said:

i created a thread 2/3 years back , "Test cricket is for gays" and it got deleted

 

I can show you a bit as how that's not true.. May be we should meet.. 

Edited August 2, 2018 by Vilander

[MechEng]

Also this was a great cricket pitch, no need for the joke of a format which is day/night tests.

 

Pitches in England and South Africa are the best, assistance to all types of bowlers and batsmen with a rare greentop bumping in.

[Lala]

Test cricket is best because teams have couple of innings to come back even they failed. Any team can dominate in any inning.

[speedheat]

7 hours ago, Rasgulla said:

 ewww

 

Tests are for oldies who has whole day to watch it.  

 

It's all about tonty tonty these days even Odis are boring these days. All tnx to bambi mafia. 

When you meet dhoni and happy to have selfie with your idol.. But then suddenly you realized that he won't be in a test series and you wont get to see him...

 

Is that you @Rasgulla???............... Ohhhh sorry sorry sorry I forgot.. you are a BOT... an electric Bot

[express bowling]

I find test matches, played on sporting pitches, to be the most exciting form of cricket. The fight between bat and ball is much better than the one sided slog-fests we see in LOIs these days.

 

Batsmen, pacers and spinners, everyone having a chance if that are good  ( if sporting pitches are prepared ) ... a chance to come back despite a bad session or even a bad day ... bowlers setting up batsmen ...  tough test of character, fighting ability, focus and endurance ... strategies and counter strategies over 5 days ... simply irresistible !

 

Test match is the only format where my favourite area in cricket ... fast bowling ... is at its best.  Fast bowlers are at their full pomp ... dishing out some nasty chin music and pushing batters back ... swing, reverse swing, seam movement, bouncing deliveries, skiddy deliveries and pacers working on batsmen to get them out  ... we get to see the full package only in test matches.  This is the most liked format for most fast bowling fans.

 

Test cricket is indeed the best cricket !  How I wish we had atleast 12 tests per year and mostly on sporting tracks !

[Clarke]

In the age of instant gratification, quality test cricket is a breath of fresh air. It isn't for everyone and us fans hope it lasts some time into the future. 

[velu]

2 hours ago, Clarke said:

In the age of instant gratification, quality test cricket is a breath of fresh air. It isn't for everyone and us fans hope it lasts some time into the future. 

 

clarke bhai .. nothing beats the excitement of tight run chases or defending a low score in a T20 or ODI game 

[Moochad]

if we are in a close contest or are winning then tests are fun, if we are having a series like our whitewashing in England, then it is absolute torture

[Vilander]

32 minutes ago, velu said:

 

clarke bhai .. nothing beats the excitement of tight run chases or defending a low score in a T20 or ODI game 

Nothing is instant in Tests..

[speedheat]

40 minutes ago, velu said:

 

clarke bhai .. nothing beats the excitement of tight run chases or defending a low score in a T20 or ODI game 

Absolutely +1

[bhakum20]

Well too bad we are an extremely tiny minority so let’s enjoy it while it lasts.

 

 

[Clarke]

44 minutes ago, velu said:

 

clarke bhai .. nothing beats the excitement of tight run chases or defending a low score in a T20 or ODI game 

Different pleasures of each .. A good Die Hard/MI film vs a Lawrence of Arabia. Each has its own joy for the fan.