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Dear Editor,
I do not believe that cricket enthusiasts failed to play that last day of the fourth Test between Australia and India at the Gabba in Brisbane a week ago. The conversation among Guyanese was everywhere; they did not expect victory in India. All Guyanese, African and Indian, were very excited, with almost all Indo-Guyanese expressing pride in the performance of the young, inexperienced Indian team. Some even said they wished the West Indies would play like the Indians.
The Indians came back from arguments of being bundled for 36 in the third-half Adelaide fly-half in the first Test to win the series 2-1, with the previous Test removed (the Indians also played with a character to save that Test). It would go down in the history books as one of the greatest Test matches, as even those who did not shout for India noted.
That early Monday morning, January 18, a host of texts and phone calls came in from Guyanese (home and American) and others about whether I saw the India-Australia Test match in Brisbane.
Of course I did! Guyana also seemed to be all up that Sunday night to watch the showdown, because it was a topic of conversation everywhere I traveled around Georgetown and on the coast.
As I gathered from their talks, almost the whole world was expecting India to be defeated. Scoring over 300 runs in the fourth inning has rarely been achieved in hundreds of Test matches. And in Australia it was almost impossible, because the pitch was bouncing, with bowlers having a swing at the cracks. I had not given up, as India entered the final day with all ten wickets in hand. I was hoping that India would be defiant and play for an equal game. Instead, the young players played for victory, taking the challenge to the Aussies, stripping away what can be described as a miracle.
Apart from texts and phone calls to me, social media and chat groups were chock full of comments, suggesting that the whole West Indies and its diaspora were watching the contest. Friends and acquaintances sent me comments, and I read so much in the media from around the world. It could be the most watched cricket match for a final day.
All of South Asia, the UK, Australia, New Zealand, and the rest of the cricket world would probably have watched that last day’s play. And most would not have given India much opportunity, because India had a young, inexperienced team, with some players appearing for the first time in that Test. The Indian indictment was severely weakened with injuries, and young people were in place. Sporting fans were expecting to defeat India, as it was nearly impossible to score over 300 runs in fourth downs and against the world’s best bowlers. And the last time Australia lost a test at Gabba was in 1988 to the West Indies, then skipped by Vivian Richards. Australia’s weak team stunned Australia.
Some of the words I heard or received in texts used to describe the victory were: “historic, unimaginable, incredible, wonderful, memorable, unforgettable, wonderful, commemorative”. I heard a man say to his friends, “That was a show to watch”. Another said: “The boys played with courage, grit and determination. That’s how players should bat. West Indies should emulate them, rather than throw away their wickets when things get tough ”. Model performance was an understatement. The young players displayed a character and skill not seen recently in the game of Test cricket, and they did so in the last three Tests.
Balls were still hitting about the body, but the players stayed focused. Racist comments were made against them. They took body shots and racist comments, and they accomplished.
Brisbane is a beautiful, invading cosmopolitan city, known as the gold coast. I visited there a few times, most recently two summers years ago, on my way home from Fiji. I came across many Indo-Fijians there. Racist comments were made against the Indian players. Non-white players have been known to experience racist blasts in Australia, but Brisbane was not known for racism. I had a pleasant experience in my visits. I was a little surprised that racist comments were made at sporting events in this century. The racism would have motivated the Indians to play harder, and they delivered an unbelievable performance, crushing the Aussies.
As Guyanese and others have noted, it was a thrilling, unexpected finish. It was a shock loss to Australia in what was the decider of not only the series, but which team would be listed at the top of the Test playoff nations. Everyone seemed very excited that India had won the match, and they also seemed to be rooting for India, which was the underdog throughout the entire four Test series. They did not expect an Indian victory, and were delighted with the result.
Bright tributes poured in by current and former legendary fans and cricketers everywhere.
Saurav Ganguly, President of the Indian cricket board, described the victory as “nothing less than historic”. He announced a bonus of US $ 680K to the players.
Cricket icon Sachin Tendulkar, a prolific record holder, now a Member of Parliament, described it as “one of the biggest gains. Each time we were hit, we stayed standing and stood taller. We pushed the boundaries of belief to play fearless but not careless cricket / Injuries and insecurities were opposed with deception and confidence ”.
The Prime Minister of India tweeted: “The team’s incredible energy and passion was evident throughout. So does their steely intent, their marvelous grit and their determination ”.
The former England cricket captain described playing the last day as “a once in a generation game performance”. In fact it was!
The victory has almost secured India’s place in this year’s final of the Test championship series to be played at Lord’s in June. Australia must defeat South Africa in order to reach the final. Otherwise, New Zealand and India would play the final.
Truly,
Bisram Vishnu
