The Hindu : Sport / Cricket : An anti-climax, indeed!

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Oct 19, 2004

Sport

Sport - Cricket

An anti-climax, indeed!

By Vijay Parthasarathy

Jason Gillespie supervising mopping up operations on Monday. — Photo: V.V. Krishnan

CHENNAI, OCT. 18. Quite possibly, the only creatures having fun this morning are those little tadpoles hopping obliviously in the little pond-like puddles that have formed near the boundary ropes at Chepauk.

Sad, isn't it? Just when this Test seems headed for a classic finish, the weather has to butt in rudely and ruin everything completely. Four days of great cricket is flushed down the gutter after it rains through the night, and although it's only been drizzling mildly for the most part this morning, the outfield is soaked. You can't exactly have fielders diving and sliding in gumboots; and the match is officially called off shortly after lunch.

The eco-system is clearly kicking in with a vengeance. Then again, it's a pleasant feeling to get caught without an umbrella in this city for a change.

* * *

Obviously nobody was quite expecting this anti-climax, and now everyone up in the media-box paces up and down restlessly wondering how to kill time. Some use the break to catch up with old friends in the profession; others drift vacantly into space, perhaps trying to dream up the perfect lead.

A small, reverential group forms around cricket-writer Peter Roebuck as he airs his views on the match.

"Just bouncing ideas off to see how they sound in public," laughs the Sydney Morning Herald columnist self-effacingly. For four days sportswriters have heatedly discussed whether Sehwag's technique is flawed; today passions rise as they debate the gulab-jamuns at lunch. That, more than anything else, sums up the day for the media.

* * *

Few people see any point in coming to the ground — they aren't going to get any refunds on the ticket anyway — but those who do, are desperately hoping for some cricket in the post-lunch session.

"Even if only 30 or 40 overs were possible, I'm sure we could have won, especially if Virender Sehwag had got a quick 60 or 70," says 21-year-old Ilaya Bharathi. "Sehwag and Dravid would have finished off the match before tea itself."

N. Swaminathan (70) has accompanied his 14-year-old grandson here today; both are disappointed they couldn't get to watch Shane Warne and Sehwag. "I don't really mind which way the match goes," says Swaminathan as he exits the ground. "It's just disappointing because either way it would have been a great result."

* * *

Both captains agree the game could have swung either way.

"I lay up in bed last night wondering how the match would end," admits Adam Gilchrist at the post-match press conference. "The greatest positive we've gained is that although we collapsed on the first day, we clung on and worked ourselves into a fairly good position."

Sourav Ganguly is a little disappointed obviously, but believes both teams were in with a chance. "It was a 50-50 game, could have gone either way," he says.

* * *

The teams now move to Nagpur for the third Test. But before that, Adam Gilchrist, John Buchanan and Damien Martyn will spend some time with their families in Singapore, while a couple of other players leave tonight for Mumbai for a well-deserved break. Australia, 1-0 ahead at this stage, must obviously back itself to win a series here for the first time in 35 years.

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