Can Ind-SA series live-up to the potential of a Battle Royale?
Biswajit Jha India ended 2009 spectacularly, touching the zenith with the numero uno status in Test cricket after they thumped the touring Sri Lankan side 2-0. Excited by the new found status of number one Test side in the world, the cricket fraternity shockingly found that newly crowned champs would play only two Tests in entire calendar year of 2010. That too against Bangladesh! This would surely make it difficult for them to hold on to the present glory. Pushed to the walls by media and former Test cricketers, the myopic cricket administrators in India, sensing the growing popularity of Test cricket, in a face saving exercise, hurriedly approached the South African board to play two Tests and three ODIs instead of only five ODIs during their tour of India. South Africa, currently the number two Test side, agreed to the suggestion by the Indian board. The move set-up a ‘Battle Royal’, or you can say the unofficial ‘Test Championship’ between the two top ranked sides. Though several p
