The best Cricket match to watch ?

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As a sports fan, all of us must have at some point faced the question “What do you see in Sport X that keeps you watching it?” This question normally comes from non sports fans who seem astounded by the fact that a whole bunch of people can sit and be amazed by watching a few cars go round and round the same track, or by watching people see who can hit balls into holes in the fewest shots possible, and so on. As an answer to these naysayers, the group of sports fans will normally start off with random trivia saying, “Well, this can turn out like the match in England where so and so got us to the target with 3 balls remaining” and so on.

Basically, we are not willing to miss a single match because it may turn out to be among the best matches we ever watched. So, it must stand to reason that in order to induct new people into the ranks of sports fans, there must be a list of matches that we would like them to watch and enjoy.

With that in mind, after some thinking, this list was come up with. These are purely personal choices which I would ask a sports novice to watch in order for them to understand what I see in a given sport that makes me watch it like, well, a sportskeeda.

Indian Vs pakistan T20 final

This was originally a long list consisting of 5 cricket matches, 5 football matches, 5 tennis matches, 5 F-1 races, 3 Golf tournaments, and other assorted sports. But, in the interest of space, and keeping the reader’s attention, I have limited it to cricket currently. If the response to this is good, I will post my other sport picks. These picks are not necessarily the best matches I have seen, but these are the matches I feel that a new inductee to the sport of cricket would like to see. Anyways, here we go:

1. India vs. Pakistan T20 finals: Obvious choice I know, but the match remains among the most exciting ones I have ever seen. Why is it a perfect choice to introduce a new fan to? Well, for one, it is T20, which means not too much of a time commitment is required. It is India playing Pakistan, so the patriotism aspect automatically comes into it. And the ending of the match, including Ravi Shastri’s commentary can still be recalled by most of us to this day.
2. Australia vs. South Africa, the greatest ODI ever played: So, we have got the newbie’s attention with the T20, now we slowly get them up to the one day game, and what better game than this one. The impossible chase made into a reality, some amazing power hitting, and of course, a last ball-last wicket victory. This match will have even the toughest non believers biting their nails.
3. India vs. England, Yuvraj and Kaif arrive: Looking back now, this match was a turning point in India’s fortunes, but 10 years on, Yuvraj and Kaif are both yet to live up to the promise. But that doesn’t take away from this amazing match. And this is a match I would gladly show someone in order to get them interested in the game. Nothing brings out love for a game as rooting for your team against unbelievable odds.
4. Australia vs. England, Edgbaston 2005: This is another pick in which at the end of the day Cricket was the big winner. The finish is remembered by us as is Flintoff consoling Lee after the amazing finish reminding us that yes; this is the Gentleman’s game. This is the perfect test match to show a non fan as the fortunes kept swinging one way and other continuously till the end.
5. India vs. Australia, Kolkata test: The point where India started its rise to the top of the world rankings, a feat achieved 10 years later. To this day, watching the match situation after day 3, I find it hard to believe that India pulled it off. This is the perfect match to get a new Indian fan into the fold completely. We have taken him/her through a T20, ODIs and one of the best test matches ever played to this point. And this match provides just the required knockout punch to make a convert out of anyone.

Those were my best “gateway” matches, as I like to call them for Cricket. What are yours?

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