A Test between the Best.

If we are keen sports followers (in this case Cricket fanatics), we are eligible to learn a thing or two from different discipline(s) in many ways, which we probably cannot justify all of it in a jiffy. But, we tend to realize these little nuances over time as we get better at understanding what does it take to get to be there and various aspects that tend to make or break the game.

In this era, OTT-platforms have given us an interesting direction. We can now watch multiple sporting events such as the 24 Hours Le Mans, which are relatively lesser-known events in many countries. In India, we know Cricket is the dominant sport, specifically when it comes to Australia .vs. India #AUSvsIND the things start to become a bit more serious, because there is this preconceived notion of performing against the best in the world, dethrone them to become the best in the world. #TestOfChampions

1st Day/Night Test Match of India tour of Australia, in the very first session Glenn McGrath talks about the changes that will be taking place in the later stages of the game. He talks about how 3rd session will be crucial because that is when athletes, i.e., the batsman, bowler, fielder, and the umpire/official) will have to stay a bit more strategic and sharp to adapt to the change in lighting conditions, climate, pitch conditions, swing & spin of the ball.

It was very much similar to a 24 Hours of Le Mans race, an endurance motorsport race. Half of the race is in the dark, so the teams have specific strategies for those 12-hours in the dark, such as the type of tires & the pressure, engine pressure, etc. But what is more interesting is the driver change, as there are 3-drivers for each car for the whole 24-hours. When it is about to get dark, the teams have specific plans and a very experienced driver who takes the wheel a couple of hours before getting into those 12 hours to have maximum advantage of the conditions.

Now connect it with the Day/Night Test-Match cricket. Here we have 6 hours instead of the 24 hours, but the challenges are different. You have a bowler throwing a ball at you (within the legal boundaries of bowling action) with speed ranging from 130 km/h to 160 km/h for pace bowling and 70 km/h to 100 km/h for spin bowling. The ball might swing & spin depending on conditions like the pitch, the weather along, with the wind conditions, based on the structure.

Human aspects are mostly the same for all sporting disciplines like the fitness, preparation, mental stability, and toughness and the mood they are in that moment and minutes before padding up or getting into the car until the next session(s). In 24 Hours Le Mans a driver generally spends 3-4 hours at a single stretch, similarly in Cricket, athletes are running around bowling, fielding, hitting the ball with nearly perfect posture for 6-7 hours a day (timeline changes based on the format).

Harsha Bhogle interestingly describes Test Match Cricket - "I like many things about Test Match Cricket. The fact that you play time" (The Test: A New Era for Australia's Cricket Team). You play time in 24 Hours Le Mans too, because it is not about the 1st few hours of the day or the last few minutes before crossing the finish line. It is the experience of 24 Hours with all the engine issues, brake failures, car crashes, or the process that the teams will follow even after a batsman is retired hurt. Bowlers sticking to plans even after getting hit for boundaries & nearly bowling those perfect in-swings/out-swings, or an official making a human error with a stumping or run-out on that particular day.

An interesting fact, just like India played a couple of warm-up games before the Adelaide game. There is a warm-up lap to start the 24 Hours Le Mans, to get the tires ready, check the conditions & systems of the car that are monitored by the professional in the pit for the next 200-hour relay race. It is in many ways similar to analyst and workload monitors engaged in the dugout.

Almost 35-overs into the 1st session, a while after the drinks break on the 1st Day of the Day/Night Test against India, Glenn McGrath likes the battle b/w the batsman & the bowler with fielders making it relatively difficult for the batsman to concentrate, to break their confidence before every ball in the day. Be it Day-1, 2, 3, 4, or 5, i.e., the last day of the match.

For 24 Hours Le Mans, 4-different races are going on at the same time, with Grant Touring (GT), Le Mans Prototypes (LMPs) which have further to sub-categories, i.e., LMP2, LMP1, and lastly Grant Touring Endurance (GTE), i.e., GTE-AM and the GTE-Pro. The drivers aren’t just racing against other teams, but the same team with a different car too. The race teams are estimated to bring 2-3 cars with 3-drivers each. So the calculation is to have up to 55-60 cars in 24 Hours of Le Mans.

We can imagine the size of support staff and resources required for that magnitude in a race b/w human .vs. the machine or the time, energy, financial capital and planning to organize (host) a series with strict pandemic regulations in place, along with bio-bubble necessities  to ensure safety and security of everyone before, after and also during the match. It is nothing less than, A Test between the Best.

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#ICC #Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) #World Test Championship #24Hour #LeMans #TestMatchCricket #Cricket Australia #BCCI #TestOfChampions