Saturday, day two
It was a gray day on the south coast of England and a blanket of cloud wrapped around the cricketing world at the Ageas Bowl. There were "rays of hope" - as JWT Turner once wrote of the oppressive London he painted at the turn of the 18th century - between the architecture of Sir Michael Hopkins and the players representing India and New Zealand. But there was no sunshine. The toss was won, the exit began and a small number of spectators - restricted by the widespread remit of COVID-19 - walked in, masked, clean and finally ready for action.
Who will win, the big screen asked, and 85% supported India, almost reflecting the makeup of the crowd. A few New Zealand fans waved their flags and a sprinkling of English neutrals settled in to watch India's openers remind them of the days when there were Englishmen with the technique required for the humid and challenging conditions.
New Zealand bowled a bit short and Shubman Gill worked hard to the midwicket boundary and with such timing Barry Richards performed for the county on this fine ground. He started with Gordon Greenidge; Two great players, who together lit up the English first-class scene in the 1970s. Greenidge lasted until 1987 before the number of overseas players per county decreased, and Richards went into retirement after rebellious tours to South Africa in the early 1980s, giving him a final taste of what South Africa's years of isolation were like. What was taken from them?
Between 1976 and 1984, the West Indies and South Africa would have participated in several World Test Championship finals. We know the West Indies team very well, so imagine a South African team with Richards, Graeme Pollock and Mike Proctor; Jimmy Cook, Peter Kirsten, Alan Lamb and Clive Rice; Lee Irwin/Ray Jennings; Garth Le Roux, Vince van der Bijl and Dennis Hobson - to name just a few.
The sublime gift to the game from Gill at the other end is Rohit Sharma. When New Zealand's attack improved and the pace picked up, he went in with power and panache, a man who was finally comfortable in the skin of a Test opening batsman.
First, we saw these opening exchanges together and were surprised by Tim Southee's pace and the wicketkeeper's carry. Then we moved on to the seats - jaw-droppingly expensive seats - with the Sightscreen to see some seam movement, but not the swing we expected. For most of the two hours before lunch, New Zealand were on par and India slightly up. But the ball was softening, the lacquer on it was being shattered, and by lunch the New Zealand coaches were ready to lay out their plot for a better afternoon.
And that afternoon was a dogfight, won by Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane with their will power and the straightness of their bat. New Zealand's fast bowlers, five of them, got some mojo and two Indians fought as if their lives - or indeed the WTC heavyweight title - depended on it. "Hell of a player, that Kohli," said Ted Dexter over the telephone. It is Ted Dexter who was inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame this week; Ted Dexter whose concerns about technique in English batting now run deep.
We met with Hampshire chairman Rod Bransgrove, who had saved the county from disintegration when the ground was developed and money ran out. He is a wonderful person, if oddly disliked at the ECB, who must see his autonomy as some kind of threat. Brasgrove fights hard for the Rose Bowl's place in the international order of things and, it seems, wings are fluttering in the corridors of power.
Also on site was Bill Hughes, the club's vice-president when I was captain, and in 1987 after a day's play at Headingley that dinner was over that Bill and I, with our third number that night, were president Wilfrid Weld. , came up with the idea of this ground and then took it forward and worked hard for its future. All three of us were ready to see it open for first-class cricket after 14 years. Sure, 14 years is a long time, but such ambition is often thwarted by markets and circumstances. Bransgrove was the savior and the game owed him more than a watchful eye.
You can imagine the pride when we looked at Kohli's resolute defense in front of Trent Boult's left-arm inswing and thought, "Wow!" This piece of land leased to us by Oxford College for the sport's modern heroes to show and sing has turned into one of cricket's most popular venues. Hughes put it simply, "Every time I come here, I feel the same excitement. Today it feels like the final fulfillment of the dream we had all those years ago."
Best in the world, playing it for the latest and grandest title. I felt the same way as Bill. We had ridden the waves, survived more than our fair share of sharks and rips and dumps, and made it to the sandy shore.
Sunday, day three
The television is on as two of my favorite cricketers, Kohli and Rahane, walk on the pitch. Chalk and cheese, these two - one all animation and explosive reaction, the other all quiet and low reaction. When Kohli flew to Australia before Christmas last year to return home for the birth of his first child, it was Rahane who took over as captain for the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne and scored one of the greatest centuries. That innings revived Indian self-esteem after the humiliation of being dismissed for 36 in Adelaide and set up one of the finest series and most dramatic wins in history.
Kohli's footwork is electric, his timing is pure and the Olympians run between the wickets. Rahane is acting like Yohan Blake to stay with him. New Zealand want to dry the game, but these two classes of batsmen know that game and respond on purpose. Though not for long, as out of the blue, Kohli fell lbw to 6ft 8in Kyle Jamieson. You can skip most of Jamieson's bowling but not all. The big blonde lad then smells Rishabh Pant (boo, we wanted an hour of Pant) and Rahane misses out on Neil Wagner's bumper strategy. Well, Wagner takes a lot of wickets with the short ball: what a cricketer he is, a man to take to the trenches.
Dinesh Karthik likes television and Harsha Bhogle on Twitter openly says the same thing. Karthik shone as an extra on Sky's coverage during England's recent tour of India, commenting wisely in the middle of the day's play from his home in India. How the Great World Turns: One minute Kolkata Knight Riders go to battle, the next whisper sweet opinion in England's ears.
New Zealand is at it right now. The ball is speaking and the bat does not like what he is hearing. Ravindra Jadeja, playing solidly down the line, is beaten by a couple of crackerjack deliveries. Kane Williamson's decision to bowl is finally being rewarded for his bowlers. Mind you, these are situations where Fred Truman would have said, "We can get most of this match done this morning, sunshine!" You must have supported Sir Richard Hadlee or Kapil Dev, who must have felt the same.
After lunch, OMG, a distant yellow ball of fire is patting its head among the clouds. This is typical England - a couple of weeks of Mediterranean heat and then, the moment comes, in need of a great cricketing opportunity, this wretched winter grayness - like Richter's every day - cold and wet. Still, this sign of the sun lifts New Zealand's hearts as it is with three quick wickets in hand and India's fall from 146 for 3 all out overnight at 217. The big, tall white took five wickets for the fifth time in a short career so far. If his body hardens it will be longer.
At tea, Kumar Sangakkara is presented with his ICC Hall of Fame cap designed by Sunil Gavaskar. There is no better man for the job. Sangakkara's breastplate is running out of space for medals; Some cricketers, some boys. After 6 p.m., above comes the black and white photos of Dexter with Sangakkara in this most recent installment of the ICC Hall-of-Famers. Nasir Hussain's words are kind and suitably upbeat. Ted is not that fast-paced yet and unable to attend the Ageas Bowl, but his mood is lifted by a burst of respect and attention - the prolific cricketer, England captain as well as later chairman of selectors, and the man behind the world Ranking system that has survived to this day.
Guess who's still batting? Devon Conway, who is he? That was Prabhu's double century on the second day. He is an old friend of Quinton de Kock and they will be back on the field together for the Southern Braves in the Hundred. Conway keeps the game simple - have fun with how well it works. Indeed, a feature of this two-day brief are the time-honored ways on show. It is no coincidence that orthodoxy is a default position for all the best players. They go back to basics, these mates and, hey, runs and wickets flood back in.
Oh, Conway is out. With clouds rolling in, Kohli brings back the seamer and Conway hits a full ball off Ishant Sharma at mid-on. Now, they have all left early due to bad light, as they did very early on Saturday. Dickie Bird once said that we should play by all means except Armageddon. "Yes, they know dark thunder and lightning, but otherwise all play in the light." This was the opinion once all the batsmen had taken off their helmets and the floodlights had worked their way to further improve the look. I'm with Dickie.