15 July,2011 07:59 AM IST | | Sai Mohan
The Daily Mail read on its front page yesterday: "Warning! Tendulkar and the Indians are here... the summer is about to get really HOT".
The India-England rivalry will never quite get the status quo of an Ashes series. But the press, and fans in the UK, have already braced it as the hottest summer since 2005.
Between 1990 and 2002, India played only six Tests in the land of their former rulers. Contrastingly, during this period, Australia had played 15 Tests in the UK.
Of late the relationship between the two cricket boards has seen a change in landscape. Previously the English board had criticised India for organising matches at smaller venues. This year, Alaistair Cook's side will play in the biggest cities when they pay a visit here for five one-day internationals in October. Evidently, there's a drastic change. Add to that, India will play a further 10 Tests in England between 2014 and 2018.
Similarly, India played only 9 Tests in New Zealand in a little over 20 years (between 1989 and 2009). They were greeted with 'rockstars' placards two years ago.
The unadulterated power of the Indians in every aspect, both commercially and cricketing wise, has perhaps made a telling impact. The impending 2000th Test at Lord's is a commercial vehicle for cricket's governing body to reiterate the longer format can draw unparalleled emotions, and viewership. "As we all prepare to celebrate the staging of the 2,000th Test match, one cannot imagine it to be any better than between two of the top teams in a series that carries with it the battle for top spot in the rankings," Haroon Lorgat said in a statement yesterday. "That is great context, and we will enhance that with the ICC World Test Championship in future."
