by Muthusamy and Verreynne’s partnership raises questions about what “exciting” means
Day Two of the second Test match between South Africa and India unfolded with the thrilling intensity of watching continental drift in real-time, as Senuran Muthusamy and Kyle Verreynne constructed an unbroken partnership that frustrated Indian bowlers and possibly violated several articles of the Geneva Convention regarding cruel and unusual punishment. The duo batted with the grim determination of people filling out tax forms, except with more padding and better weather.
Test cricket purists immediately proclaimed this “proper Test batting,” which is how cricket fans describe any innings where run-scoring takes a distant backseat to not getting out. It’s the sporting equivalent of praising someone for successfully standing in one place for several hourstechnically impressive, but questioning whether it’s entertainment or endurance testing.
The Indian bowling attack, featuring some of the most talented cricketers on the planet, found themselves reduced to the status of extras in a movie about patience. They tried everything: pace, spin, aggressive field placements, defensive field placements, and possibly prayer. Nothing worked. The South African pair defended with the solid technique of people who’ve decided that boundaries are overrated and dot balls are actually achievements.
Muthusamy, playing like someone who’s got nowhere to be and all day to get there, accumulated runs at a pace that made time-lapse photography look hasty. Each run was earned with the kind of effort usually reserved for marathon training, with celebration levels matching someone who’s successfully parallel parked on the first tryquietly satisfied but not wanting to make a big deal about it.
Verreynne, meanwhile, batted with the defensive solidity of a bank vault crossed with a yoga instructor’s flexibility. Every delivery was met with either a textbook defensive stroke or a careful leave, as if he was taking an exam where points are deducted for excitement. His concentration levels were so intense that observers wondered if he’d discovered a form of meditation that just happens to involve a cricket bat.
The Indian captain rotated his bowlers with increasing desperation, like a DJ at a wedding trying different genres to get people on the dance floor. First the pacers, then the spinners, then the pacers again, then a part-timer who looked surprised to be holding the ball. The partnership continued to grow, mocking tactical plans and statistical projections with equal disdain.
Commentators filled the airtime by discussing obscure statistical trends from matches played in the 1970s, the weather patterns in Cape Town, and the philosophical implications of defensive batting. One analyst spent fifteen minutes explaining the “beauty of a well-executed forward defense,” which is what happens when nothing has happened for several hours and you’re contractually obligated to keep talking.
Social media erupted with the usual mix of genuine cricket appreciation and barely concealed boredom. “This is Test cricket at its finest,” tweeted the purists. “I’ve aged three years during this partnership,” countered everyone else. Memes comparing the run rate to geological processes began circulating, with the partnership lasting longer than some celebrity marriages and most New Year’s resolutions.
The frustration was visible on the faces of Indian fielders, who had spent most of the day in various positions around the ground, contemplating life choices and wondering if their careers might have been more satisfying as accountants. The bowlers looked like people stuck in traffic who’ve accepted their fate but aren’t happy about it.
As stumps approached, the partnership remained unbroken, a monument to patience, technique, and the willingness to bore everyone including yourself in pursuit of team goals. The South African pair walked off to applause, having successfully frustrated an entire nation of cricket fans who’ll have to tune in tomorrow to see if anything actually happens.
SOURCE: https://www.kvue.com/article/syndication/associatedpress/muthusamy-and-verreynnes-unbroken-stand-frustrates-india-on-day-two-of-second-test/616-ef6602db-3040-4be5-9195-7a7c7bd9886a
SOURCE: Bohiney.com (https://www.kvue.com/article/syndication/associatedpress/muthusamy-and-verreynnes-unbroken-stand-frustrates-india-on-day-two-of-second-test/616-ef6602db-3040-4be5-9195-7a7c7bd9886a)
