A famous conversation took place at the Gabba during the tea break on the final day of the first Australia-West Indies Test match on December 14, 1960.
Needing 233 to win, Australia had been reduced to 109-6 by Wes Hall and Co, with just 120 minutes to go in the game.
As the players had some tea, Sir Donald Bradman, the chairman of selectors, made his way into the room for a cup of tea.
Looking straight at Richie Benaud, Australia’s captain, he said: “What’s it going to be?”
“Well, we’re going for a win,” replied Benaud.
“I’m very pleased to hear it,” replied Sir Donald.
The match ended up as the first tied Test in the history of the game. It is also one that showcases the never-say-die Australian spirit that so inspires Virat Kohli.
So when Kohli and his team settle down at the end of the day to discuss tactics for a pivotal day 5, a similar conversation should be in order.
‘What’s it going to be?’
If India decide to play for a win, they will have to take some more risk; indeed, to win they need to risk defeat. Playing shots on this wicket is not easy. The uneven bounce can claim the best of batsmen and the quality of this South African pace attack is not one to be scoffed at. India also have just three batsmen (Rohit Sharma, Hardik Pandya and R Ashwin) to come. The tail is long and should not be expected to wait on this wicket.
Still, victory will need it’s own mechanism. The 141-run partnership between AB de Villiers and Dean Elgar might be the one to follow. Elgar stayed put, rotated the strike and de Villiers took the risks and played the shots. India will need Pujara to play Elgar’s role and everyone else will have to try and do what de Villiers did. Not easy but it’s not like there are any other options.
The other option will be to straight up decide to play for a draw. Pujara can play the blocking game well and he can bat for long periods. If you are in a defensive mode, you just might survive a little longer but there is no guarantee that some delivery won’t get you anyway. But Faf du Plessis showed that it is possible to bat for long periods.
There is enough in this wicket to make the odd delivery beat the bat anyway and the South African bowlers are a disciplined lot. The SA attack also got more out of the wicket than the Indian bowlers. Shami and Co took wickets in bursts but with SA there is no let up.
Still, it brings us back to the same question.
‘What’s it going to be?’
Kohli’s answer is not an easy one. The top three batsmen - Murali Vijay, KL Rahul and most importantly, Kohli - are all back in the dressing room. In the fourth innings of the match, South Africa bowled 23 overs and the visitors scored just 35 runs for the loss of three wickets. It shows run scoring won’t be easy.
Intent has been Kohli’s buzzword but no one else in this team has been able to live up to that word. This will be their opportunity to do so.
India are already 0-1 down in the series; another defeat could see them lose not just the Test but also the series. A defeat will see this squad being dismissed as wannabes; a collapse could see them being labelled as a team that can’t walk the talk; a defeat will show that they are not the new India… that they never were.
The match, though, isn’t over. It isn’t over till the last ball is bowled or the last wicket falls.
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