Best ever test series IYO?

[listento_me]

India v Aus 2007/08


some great umpiring and sportsmanship that series

I enjoyed this series but tbh, a great test series can't have losses by the margins that Australia beat India in those 2 first tests. It wasn't just the runs (if I remember, they were large deficits) but also the fact that Australia looked largely comfortable throughout. I remember there was a big score in the second test and imo, Tendulkar played one of his best innings ever, hugely underrated but then they just feel apart in the second innings and Australia won quite well yet again.

India winning that 3rd test was a triumph though, still I feel it was too one sided for too long to be truly great. If I was listing my top 20 test series, probably wouldn't make it. Aus/Ind 01 would, along with Ind/Pak 03 and India/Pak 04.

 

[Howe_zat]

Starc?

 

[listento_me]

Starc?

lol meant Johnson

 

[Victor Ian]

Windies in Aus in 92/93 was an awesome series.

Waugh was a few years post dud. Boon had become awesome. Border was the man. McDermott was in awesome mode. Hughes was entertaining. Warne had appeared. Lara said hello and Ambrose made us all cry that the Windies lose a killer bowler and replace him with a killer bowler. Australia was finally not being pummelled by the West Indies (I started watching cricket in the Windies tour here in 83/84? The one where Kim cried and Allan became the Door - just like a wall, except you could open it by bullying the rest of the team to give you the keys)

Anyways, it all came to a head in Adelaide and the Windies broke everyone's heart in Australia and then remembered who they were and pummeled us in the last two tests. It was a brilliant series, building hope, building hope, building hope, then crushing it cruelly by kicking your teeth in. However it made the next ten years of cricket thoroughly entertaining as Australia went on to defeat the Windies the next time and then destroy everyone as punishment for jumping on us in the 80's. If England could have lost like this in 05, they'd be just finishing their ten years of dominance. Instead they won, got knighted and became England again in 06.

 

[OverratedSanity]

It's funny to think back how important that win at Chennai 01 was. Kolkata is obviously (and rightly) more remembered but if we had gone on to lose that thriller at Chennai, everything changes. VVS and Dravid's partnership wouldn't be remembered quite as fondly, nor would Harbhajan's bowling throughout the series. It'd still be regarded as a great series, but it wouldn't be called almost up there with the 05 Ashes if Australia had won. Even the Kolkata test itself might not be considered arguably the best ever like it is, since ultimately India lost the series. There's something more epic about the GOAT team being finally beaten when it comes to 01 India and 05 Ashes that makes them feel that extra bit special imo.

 

[honestbharani]

IMO the twin 60s of VVS in that Chennai test was arguably superior in terms of the sheer quality of batsmanship than his 281. I mean, he basically was in God mode from ball 1 in both innings. Seemed to have ages to hit the ball where he wanted to. Almost like how in movies you see those freeze frames and the camera panning all around, it just looked like he froze time just before hitting the ball, saw the field and decided where to hit it and at what speed and then executed it. Was just so so awesome to watch live.


And THAT catch by Waugh Jr. to dismiss him. Getting a straight view of it as our stand was basically midwicket from the other end.. Wow.


Even the no ball dismissal of Sachin and then Bhaji being the one to hit the winning runs, and that too, a beautifully timed drive off basically a yorker... Was just such a great test match.

 

[vcs]

VVS would go into that mode every now and again (usually against Australia).. his 70-odd in Mohali with an injured back and Ishant for company was similar in how he was picking the gaps effortlessly. Also a 30-odd he made in the 2nd innings of Adelaide 2003 was such a pretty knock. Probably my favourite sub-50 innings.

 

[honestbharani]

Yeah.. I ve pretty much watched all of his test knocks but I still feel he was in some Ultra God mode for those two innings. There are times when a batsman can look like he decides what is going to happen every ball regardless of who is bowling and what the field is. Lax was in that zone for the entirety of both those knocks. A very diff. kinda memorable twin fifties in a test to Dravid's efforts at Jamaica.

 

[OverratedSanity]

He had an innings in Brisbane in 03/04 where virtually every ball hit the middle of the bat. It was beautiful.

 

[honestbharani]

Maybe.. It was the innings when Sachin later said in an interview, he felt like Laxman could hit 3 or 4 boundaries every over... Would still have a it bit of a rung below the Chennai form. Also coz the Brisbane attack was basically pop gun compared to what he faced in 2001.

 

[vic_orthdox]

Actually yeah, you're right. Perfect 3-Test series, had everything.

Yeah, would have been better if Aus' win had come beforehand to make it a deciding Test in the third, but three great matches.