Chasing Ghosts + Pink-Ball Fury: A Tale of Two Test Realities
Chasing Ghosts You couldn’t have scripted a better scene as India walked off the field late on day four of the third Test. England bowled out for just 192, and looked stunned. The Barmy Army fell silent, unable to make sense of the carnage that had just unfolded. Six wickets had fallen for fewer than 40 runs, in a collapse that felt eerily similar to the ones India had endured earlier in the series. But this time, it was England reeling. The door had swung open, and India kicked it down, seizing control of the series with a chance to go 2-1 up. A result that many in England had dismissed as impossible now hung in the balance, and the bravado of former players who had predicted an English whitewash suddenly rang hollow. However, there is no greater myth in cricket than the illusion of momentum. The speed of its arrival is only mirrored by that of its departure. True to its nature, this enigmatic motion reared its ugly head during the waning lights of the fourth day. The first over ...
