Richard
Cricket Web Staff Member
This is a very fascinating question and one I've thought more than once in recent years. And with David Gower, David Lloyd and Michael Atherton discussing the matter with varying degrees of guesswork during lunchtime on the day of this post, I thought I'd put it out there to CW.
Someone like Ricky Ponting, I think it can fairly safely be said, will take far more pride in his 30 (summat like that) Test centuries and playing in and leading a Test side that has beaten most comers than his multiple ODI achievements (including 3 World Cups, 2 as captain). Equally, I don't doubt that 18-year-old Middlesex batsman Billy Godleman is hoping to play Tests one day - probably not even really thinking about ODIs.
Aravinda de Silva, Mahela Jayawardene, Inzamam-ul-Haq, Mohammad Yousuf, Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid, beyond doubt I think, will be more proud of their Test achievements than anything they've done in the shorter game, despite the fact that attendances are a tiny fraction for the five-day than what they are for the one- in each of their countries.
But what about the next generation? What is it that these boys
the likes of Tanmay Srivastava, Taruwar and Virat Kohli, Ajitesh Argal and Ravindra Jadeja are dreaming of? Are they wanting to play 100 Tests for India and take the team to the top of The World? Or are they aiming to get the biggest bids they can possibly get in the IPL, or are they considering chucking the whole lot in to go and play in the ICL?
Do they think they can do both? Do they want to?
The only way we could know, I suppose, is to talk to them. But I wonder if anyone has any inkling, besides stereotypes and assumptions.
Someone like Ricky Ponting, I think it can fairly safely be said, will take far more pride in his 30 (summat like that) Test centuries and playing in and leading a Test side that has beaten most comers than his multiple ODI achievements (including 3 World Cups, 2 as captain). Equally, I don't doubt that 18-year-old Middlesex batsman Billy Godleman is hoping to play Tests one day - probably not even really thinking about ODIs.
Aravinda de Silva, Mahela Jayawardene, Inzamam-ul-Haq, Mohammad Yousuf, Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid, beyond doubt I think, will be more proud of their Test achievements than anything they've done in the shorter game, despite the fact that attendances are a tiny fraction for the five-day than what they are for the one- in each of their countries.
But what about the next generation? What is it that these boys
the likes of Tanmay Srivastava, Taruwar and Virat Kohli, Ajitesh Argal and Ravindra Jadeja are dreaming of? Are they wanting to play 100 Tests for India and take the team to the top of The World? Or are they aiming to get the biggest bids they can possibly get in the IPL, or are they considering chucking the whole lot in to go and play in the ICL?
Do they think they can do both? Do they want to?
The only way we could know, I suppose, is to talk to them. But I wonder if anyone has any inkling, besides stereotypes and assumptions.