There's space for all forms of Cricket!

After a month long of tonking the ball in a pre determined manner, slogging the good length deliveries over mid wicket,going for big shots right from the first ball and encouraging the belief that being a bowler means death(especially in the sub continent) the past week has served a pleasant change to a genuine cricket lover.

England,the world's most tradational venue and one of the few countries which actually has a well defined "season" of International Cricket, played hosts to the Kiwis and since the first test overlapped completely with the IPL, there wasn't much focus on it.It was only in the third test that I sat back in a relaxed mood to be taken by the charm of good old Test Cricket.Sadly, the Kiwis lost that by an innings and 8 runs but the result is not the talking point.It is about the feel of watching test cricket, the joy that one gets when a Ryan Sidebottom takes a 6 wicket haul to dismiss the kiwis or a Jacob Oram makes a fighting century at a rate much less than run a ball in swinging conditions at Lord's to take his side to a formidable total. Over the last two months we've witnessed so much of T20 that we've forgotton how much fun we can derive when a bowler's teasing the opposition with his swing, when batsmen are afraid to touch the ball in the "corridor of uncertainly" and when the ugly looking slog sweep is just not employed.

However,the future of Test matches was never under threat from T20, but that of 50 over cricket was.Today was India's opening match in the Kitplay cup, hosted by Bangladesh, against Pakistan and going by the fun it provided for at least 80 overs,I dont think any form of cricket is under threat by any other.All of them have a niche for themselves and they have their own audience.However, I must admit that now the common audience would be very few. The die hard, traditional fans would not get as much pleasure from a slogged six by a Swapnil Asnodkar as they would get by watching Rahul Dravid play a perfect cover drive or a Sachin Tendulkar playing a straight drive back past the bowler which almost hits the stumps.

It would be wrong to say that cricket is the loser in the long run.No. If anything, cricket is gaining audience worldwide with the invention of IPL as it was broadcast successfully in over 170 countries in the world!And dont even think about Indian audience turning their back to it,it just can NEVER happen