LS Sport’s Joshua Edwards decided to stay up for every ball of England’s first Test against India. Here’s his tale of cricket, commitment and caffeine…
A 4am alarm. Just as many of my fellow students are finishing a night out on the town, I’m crawling out of bed to make a black coffee. Wearing a big parka jacket in bed to nullify the worst of the early morning Northern chill, I settle in with the aid of my friend’s dad’s SkyGO account to watch every ball of England’s first Test against India.
It’s quite a commitment for a body clock attune to student life, but for me it is very much worth the early mornings. I absolutely adore watching England play in the sub-continent. In fact, with the notable exception of an Ashes series, watching England play in India is up there with any other televised sporting event for me.
And for pretty obvious reasons. In all of history it’s been the toughest place to go and win test matches for our boys. In percentages, England have won just 21% of Tests in India, compared to 33% in Australia, and 38% in South Africa. I do love a challenge. For those unaware of why it’s so tough to defeat India on their hallowed pitches, there are a number of standout reasons. Cricket is well loved in England, but in India, it’s akin to religion. Genuinely. The Twenty20 league is blossoming tremendously and in recent times the country has been saturated by the different variations of the game; a true testament to its popularity. In this sense, a home Test for India against England is a big deal, and not to be taken lightly. But perhaps more importantly, Tendulkar and co. aside, are the conditions. An arid, dust-bowl of a surface in Chennai is a far cry from the murky gloom of Headingley, where the ball swings yards for our quick bowlers. India routinely open with spin bowling in Test matches, which still seems to bemuse our top order batsmen.
Spin bowling in England is more of a hobby, an occasional attempt to slow down the game or pick up the odd wicket on the fifth day of a crumbling pitch. In India it seems that every young cricketer is a budding Harbhajan Singh. Jimmy Anderson, renowned world class fast bowler, can end up wicket-less as he strives to find ways to skittle the Indian batsmen when the ball isn’t swinging or seaming like at the Oval or Lords. In contrast, the Indian quicks like Zaheer Khan have developed nuances in pace and angle which, along with diligent patience, give them a fighting chance in the conditions.
It’s all these reasons, coupled with the contentious return of England talisman Kevin Pietersen, which give me the much required motivation to awaken from my slumber and watch England in Ahmedabad. It’s one of the best examples out there of the technical, tactical battle that is the 5 day format of Cricket. Unfortunately I also begin watching a series like this with a fairly pessimistic outlook. Perhaps this is indicative of the English mind-set, but it wasn’t helped by our first Test selection. I think Parliament should pass a law requiring all English Test sides to select two genuine spinners in any sub-continent Test match. With Stuart Broad seemingly not at 100% fitness, picking Monty Panesar seemed a brave yet obvious decision to me.
Unfortunately for me, 5 coffee-filled, ridiculously early starts ended in an England defeat. Pujara (with shades of VVS Laxman) contributing wonderfully with a double century in the first innings. The Indian spin attack ripped through our batting line up and despite a brave 174 in the follow-on second innings from Captain Cook, England succumbed to a 5th day first Test loss. Who could have predicted this course of action? Actually, probably quite a few people with at least a decent knowledge of English cricket. Onwards and upwards though, and if England, Monty Panesar included, can force or draw or even a win in Mumbai, all is not lost. My dual life as a 4th year History student and England cricket fanatic will continue, and despite my pessimism, I’ll be once again setting the alarm come the 22nd.