linkOver the next month, India will go from one island to the other with what is effectively a B side. And when talk turns to the opportunities that the tour presents for those on the fringes, the old-timers will wince a little.
It was a little over two decades ago that a Test match against West Indies represented the ultimate sporting challenge. Forget staged reality-TV shows. If you want to know what makes a man a survivor, watch footage of cricket from the late 1970s and '80s.
Or you could go even further back, to Nari Contractor. At 27 he captained India to a series victory against England. At 28, his time on the big stage was over, skull cracked open by a bouncer from Charlie Griffith in Barbados. India lost that series 0-5, with only Polly Umrigar and Bapu Nadkarni averaging more than 30. Needless to say, those who had to face Wesley Hall (who took 27 wickets in the series at 15.74) with inadequate protective gear weren't abuzz with enthusiasm at the prospect.
We turned the corner...Rally, WIallin!
