{"id":1652,"date":"2016-03-03T15:26:21","date_gmt":"2016-03-03T15:26:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/13.201.39.237\/?p=1652"},"modified":"2016-03-03T15:26:21","modified_gmt":"2016-03-03T15:26:21","slug":"the-ashes-england-australia-test-cricket","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/13.207.105.184\/?p=1652","title":{"rendered":"The Eternal Appeal of the Ashes"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

I<\/span><\/p><\/div>

n India, cricket is like traffic \u2013 it\u2019s everywhere. We find cricketers in gullies and maidans, and commentators in bars and living rooms across the country, and everyone has designs on the Indian team. So naturally, fatigue is bound to set in. Kohli<\/a> is great and all, but there\u2019s only so many times you can have the Kohli vs Sachin debate without wanting to get hit in the head with a bouncer yourself.\n\nIn the cricketing world, the Indian team is like the hyperactive, overachieving kid at school who is on the sports team and debate squad, and is both class monitor and RSP leader. We go from playing Sri Lanka<\/a> to playing New Zealand, and IPL to Champions Trophy, in an endless loop until Ravi Shastri<\/a>\u2019s voice begins to narrate our dreams. And then, once every two years, comes a breath of fresh air \u2013 The Ashes.\n\nThe 2017 edition of this vintage tournament begins tomorrow, and it\u2019s a welcome break from the Boys in Blue. For once, here\u2019s a series that commands our attention without cheerleaders, Navjot Singh Sidhu, or tacky corporate branding. The biennial clash between the Pommies and the Aussies is a throwback to cricket\u2019s days of yore, where winning a Test series was considered the ultimate expression of a team\u2019s dominance. Since 1882, the team that held the Ashes would claim bragging rights over their rivals, though the prestige has somewhat dimmed as the two nations are no longer the undisputed leaders in world cricket. However, there is still a glorious legacy attached to victory in this series, one that predates nearly all other trophies in the sport, including the World Cup.\n\n

It\u2019s going to be a period of bliss, free of unnecessary advertising and hellish vuvuzelas, where cricket can be enjoyed as the beautiful game it truly is<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\nThis year is a tantalising one, as both sides can claim 32 victories each in the history of the tournament. Tied in this fashion, debutant Ashes captains Joe Root and Steve Smith can look forward to chiselling their names into the records of cricketing history if they break the deadlock for their country. They will join the immortals who\u2019ve left their mark on cricket history, like Ian Botham\u2019s 1981 Headingley miracle, or Test cricket\u2019s second ever triple-ton by the irreplaceable Don Bradman, or more recently, Alastair Cook\u2019s dogged battle against Australia\u2019s quicks on fast and bouncy wickets to bring the urn home to England.\n\nFor the next six weeks or so, cricket fans can look forward to losing themselves in the old-world magic of hard-fought Test cricket<\/a>. It\u2019s all a part of the Ashes\u2019 unique charm, even the waking up at 5:30 am to catch the live broadcast from Australia. It\u2019s going to be a period of bliss, free of unnecessary advertising and hellish vuvuzelas, where cricket can be enjoyed as the beautiful game it truly is.\n\nWatch the game and cherish the memory for the next two years, because you will soon feel like beating yourself over the head as the IPL<\/a> drowns you in a riot of overstimulation. In the middle of that noise, repeat to yourself this mantra\u2026. \u201cThere will always be the Ashes.\u201d\n\nAnd you will survive.\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

For once, here\u2019s a series that commands our attention without cheerleaders, Navjot Singh Sidhu, or tacky corporate branding.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":43,"featured_media":1653,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[82],"tags":[1499,449,1269,19,3072,451,1586,1524,3073],"class_list":["post-1652","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-pop-culture","tag-australia","tag-cricket","tag-england","tag-india","tag-joe-root","tag-kohli","tag-steve-smith","tag-test-cricket","tag-the-ashes"],"yoast_head":"\nThe Eternal Appeal of the Ashes<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"For once, here\u2019s a series that commands our attention without cheerleaders, Navjot Singh Sidhu, or tacky corporate branding.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" 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