Of two-Test series and rationale behind India-Sri Lanka games

It was nice to hear that the Australian cricket board had acceded to the BCCI ‘request’ to play a couple of Test matches instead of the long, winding and dare I say, meaningless, seven game ODI series in October.

The sudden fad with playing having Test matches instead of the supposedly more lucrative ODIs seems to have been brought about by the Indian cricket board thanks to the number one ranking that the Indians had achieved some months back. My only worry is whether a couple of series losses for India and the subsequent tumble from the perch will change the Board’s attitude.

While I can think of at least one other occasion when India’s performance in a least-liked event of the Board had given birth to a billion dollar baby in the form of the IPL, I do not know whether the BCCI has the wherewithal to push for the Test championship to make the five day format a little more attractive for the viewers.

For now though, I am puzzled by the concept of two Test match series. Also known as unfinished business. South Africa won the first Test match, India won the second and the setting should have been apt for a grand finale, third game. Instead, both teams go home with shared spoils. And the fans reminisce about what could have been an even more exciting series had it been for a third Test game.

In fact, if commerce were not to play a part, I would go up to the extent of having at least four Test matches for an India-Australia or even an India-South Africa home series, and at least three for most of the other nations. Then again, it is a big, big if, is the commerce, and judging by the deteriorating interest amongst the fans in this format of the game in the wake of the hit-and-miss version.

Speaking of Test matches itself, India will be involved in a three-game Test series against Sri Lanka in July. Again. This will be the third Test series involving the two sides in three years, apart from the numerous other ODI series that have already been played. I would have loved to be a fly on the walls of the meeting between the BCCI and SLCA officials when they chalked out a schedule like this. There has to be some form of a rationale that would have been a part of those discussions and it would have been an enlightening experience to know what.

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