It’s all square at the Oval: Stage set for ultimate Test

India's cricket team faces Australia in the final of the WTC, with many of its older players hoping for a last chance to claim a major trophy

London As you enter The Oval, the imposing pavilion of the Surrey County Cricket Club reminds you that you’ve got a date with history. The ground was first opened in 1845, and The Oval was the first ground in the country to host an international Test in September 1880. The final Test match of the English summer cricket season is, therefore, traditionally played here.

Rohit Sharma and Australian skipper Pat Cummins ahead of the World Test Cricket Championship in London on Tuesday. (PTI)

The clubhouse features an assortment of black-and-white photographs: there’s England great Len Hutton showing off the Ashes trophy they won in 1953; there’s legends Don Bradman and Garry Sobers; there’s a famous heavy roller known as “Bosser’s pet”; and so many more. Among these is a picture of Bella, the elephant – one that is especially poignant for Indian fans, for the day the elephant walked at The Oval was when India sealed their first-ever away series win against England in 1971.

It was Ajit Wadekar’s men who had reached a magical milestone then. And it will be Rohit Sharma’s men who will be hoping to create some history of their own when they take on big-game hunters Australia in the final of the World Test Championship starting on Wednesday.

This is India’s second consecutive WTC final – they lost the first one to New Zealand – and for many in this squad, it may be their last chance to win this new ultimate prize in cricket. The skipper is 36. R Ashwin is 36 too. Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane are 35. Virat Kohli is 34, as is Ravindra Jadeja. It very much feels like a cycle is coming to an end for Indian cricket; and that there could not be a better opportunity than this to cap off the generation.

These players have been around for a while and they have helped India power up the Test rankings. But what use is that record without the crown? What use is it being the best without being world champions?

Big finals – the ones that really matter – often come down to one thing: Who wants it more?

That is the question that many in the Indian team will be asking themselves, especially given their record in knockout matches in the recent past. When push comes to shove, India have faltered of late. So much so that it has often felt like the occasion, even more than the opponent, has got the better of them. An ICC trophy drought since 2013 has been on everyone’s mind, and though India keep attempting to brush the worries aside, there is no doubt that it must be weighing heavily on the players.

“See,” started skipper Sharma on the eve of the WTC final, “obviously I’ve been given the job to make sure that we take Indian cricket forward. Whoever it is in this job, whether it’s me or someone else, all the guys before me, their role was to take Indian cricket forward and win as many games, and as many championships as possible. I want to win games, I want to win championships. That is what you play for. I will be nice to win some titles, win some extraordinary series.”

But, he hastened to add, “I genuinely feel that we don’t want to put too much pressure on ourselves by over-thinking about this kind of stuff.”

Make no mistake, a team’s legacy is defined by what they win. A sense of occasion, therefore, is the need of the hour. Coach Rahul Dravid and skipper Sharma both know this, even if they’ve been trying to play things down.

For both India and Australia, the last few days have been filled with practice sessions, net sessions, meetings, talking to players and coaches and recovering from IPL fatigue. It may be the general drill before any match, but it is mixed with the extraordinary opportunity of becoming world champions.

“I think missing the first one, this second one feels like it’s a bit more significant,” said Australian skipper Pat Cummins when asked about the significance of the event. “Again, I think it’s the only trophy that Australian cricket hasn’t won... maybe in 10 years’ time when you look back at career achievements, these are the ones that stand out.”

Some experts reckon an India win might save Test cricket — the 1983 win by Kapil’s Devils gave ODIs a huge boost and the 2007 World T20 win changed the game as it gave birth to the Indian Premier League. Test cricket, of course, has been around for much longer, but there is no doubt that it’ll get India to invest even more in the format.

Bella, the elephant, may not be around to walk around the ground. But the Indian team will look to channel her spirit for sure.