Six reasons why Tests are much better than limited overs cricket

2. Ball vs bat contests:

In limited overs format, even good balls get thrashed by the batsmen for boundaries and at times doing so – they get out. As far as Test matches are concerned, the good balls are treated with respect. The bowlers try all possible methods to get a batsman out, whereas the latter tries all possible means to deny his wicket to the opposition. The contests between a great fast bowler and the world’s premier batsman have always been worth watching in Test cricket. In ODIs and T20, such contests can rarely be viewed, as most of the times, even a lower order batsman can unleash a major onslaught on world class fast bowlers.

During India’s tour of Australia, when the Indians were subjected to chin music by the Aussie pace attack, it was only Sachin Tendulkar, true to his credibility as one of world’s leading batsmen, who could withstand the fiery spells aimed at him. There was a time when the Little Master took the attack to Glenn McGrath, punishing him for three consecutive boundaries. Seeing the assault inflicted upon his premium fast bowler, Steve Waugh, the then Baggy Green captain, momentarily removed the “Pigeon” from the attack.

I could vividly remember McGrath asking for one more chance to have a go at the Mumbai batting legend, although the request was respectfully turned down by his captain. Till then, the New South Wales bowler had a firm grip on the match situation. He was so brutally demolished in a couple of overs by the master blaster that the captain had no chance but to force a bowling change. That was the sort of competition I was referring to, where a bowler kept a batsman on the defensive only for him to choose to use the long handle to perfection and break the shackles.

You cannot find such intriguing contests on a regular basis in the shorter version of the game. The very fact that cricket is known as the contest between the bat and the ball rules out any possibility of limited overs games being called the real deal.