While the Pune pitch spun
prodigiously from ball one, the second Test pitch in Bengaluru also spun
fiercely and featured dramatic cracks that caused deliveries to shoot low and
rear up off a length. Though this is
what Australian Press has been writing about, that pitch at M Chinnaswamy Stadium was reportedly
rated as ‘very good’ by Broad in the Indian press. The series has been dominated by spin bowling, with some good performance by pacers too.
The scene now shifts to
Ranchi for the 3rd test of the Series. Ranchi is the capital of the Indian state of
Jharkhand, and now it is the most populous city of the state. Ranchi was the
centre of the Jharkhand movement, which called for a separate state for the
tribal regions of South Bihar, northern Orissa, western West Bengal and the
eastern area of what is present-day Chhattisgarh. The Jharkhand state was
formed on 15 November 2000 by carving out the Bihar divisions of Chota Nagpur
and Santhal Parganas. The name Ranchi is derived from the previous name of the
Oraon village at the same site, Archi. "Archi" derives from the Oraon
word for bamboo grove. Ranchi has been selected as one of the hundred Indian
cities to be developed as a smart city under PM Narendra Modi's flagship Smart
Cities Mission. Ranchi is best known for being the hometown of the legendary
cricketer MS Dhoni.
Jharkhand (lit.
"Bushland") shares its border with the states of Bihar, Uttar Pradesh,
Chhattisgarh, Odisha and West Bengal. After Ranchi, Jamshedpur is the largest industrial city in
the state, while Dhanbad and Bokaro Steel City are the second and fourth most
populous cities respectively. Jharkhand accounts for 40% of the mineral resources
of India. The match is to be played at Jharkhand
States Cricket Association International Cricket Stadium which also served as
home for Chennai Super Kings. The JSCA's decision to build a new cricket
stadium in Ranchi stemmed from a dispute with Tata Steel, regarding allocations
of international matches and conducting matches in Keenan Stadium.
On this day, 140
years ago, around 1500 spectators were
inside the MCG when, shortly after one o'clock on a sunny afternoon, the first
ball in Test cricket was bowled by Alfred Shaw to Charles Bannerman. The first
run came off the next delivery, and the first wicket in the fourth over, when
Allen Hill bowled Nat Thompson. The ignominy of the first duck fell to Edward
Gregory later in the day. Charles
Bannerman, went on to become the first Test centurion. Hill had both the first
Test wicket and the first catch. Midwinter picked up the first 5 wicket haul,
and Blackham had the first stumping.
The MCG at the time had one
newly built grandstand that could seat 2000, with the remainder of the ground
surrounded by a grass bank. By the close 4500 people had turned up, but few
bothered to use the stand, which was said to have only a smattering of people
in it all day. At the close, 5pm - there had been around three-and-a-half
hours' play - Bannerman had made 126 out of 166 for 6, Test cricket's first
hundred. The two teams spent the evening at the opera. It was timeless test and
chasing 154 to win, England were
skittled for 108, with slow bowler Tom Kendall (like Bannerman, born in
England) taking 7 for 55. Their chase might not have been helped by the large
lunch, and copious quantity of beer, they consumed during the break. The margin
of Australia's victory was 45 runs, a result remarkably repeated in the
Centenary Test in March 1977. "The combined team worked together with the
utmost harmony and goodwill," reported The Australian.
The first
officially-recognized test cricket match took place 140 years ago today on
15,16,17 & 19 of March 1877. It was a contest between the established
English side and the newly-formed Australian team. Today’s Doodle hits the deck
with a lighthearted rendering that captures the spirit of sportsmanship and the
inaugural test match. Mustachioed and musclebound, the batsmen, bowlers and
opposition fielders spring into action, never losing sight of the red ball. The
rivalry between the English and Australian teams, forged on the field, endures
to this day.
Miles away, Windies Test
legend and his 20-year-old son record unique feat after making 50s in same
first-class match. Shivnarine Chanderpaul made a habit of trailblazing during a
two-decade long international career and the West Indies legend has made
history once again in a regional Caribbean first-class match this week. In a four-day game for his native Guyana
against Jamaica, the 42-year-old brought up his 136th first-class half-century
only hours after his 20-year-old son Tagenarine had also reached 50 on day two
of the clash at Sabina Park. It's the first time a father-son duo have notched
half-centuries in the same first-class match since George Gunn and his son
George Vernon made struck tons in a match for Nottinghamshire in 1931. Since
making his first-class debut in 2013 with his father’s Test career still in
full flow, Tagenarine Chanderpaul has played five matches (including the
ongoing one, which still has a day to go) alongside his dad, but it’s the first
occasion where both have made telling contributions in the same game.
Cricket is always
interesting !
With regards – S.
Sampathkumar
15th Mar 2017
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