What Does the Adelaide Test Mean?

Dead rubber? Playing for pride? A chance at redemption? A last hurrah?

What!?!

For Australia, it is a chance to become the second team in as many tours to reduce India into a bunch of touring amateurs reminiscent of the 90s. It is a chance to mercilessly hammer in the last nail and jump start their journey back to the top. A rare chance for youngsters and veterans to come together in splendid harmony, and attempt to perfect a recipe that India has gone horribly wrong at.

 For India, it could be a lot of different things. To say that they are playing to salvage some pride will be making the understatement of the year, but without Dhoni, and with the rest of the team in disarray, what does it really mean to India? To the players who deep down know that they might never show up for another test for their country, what is it to them? For players who have doubts and questions, about ability or their roles in the team - mid-career for some and start-of-career for others - what does Adelaide mean?

For fans who know that this is the last peek at the ship before it completely sinks to the depths of history books, what does Adelaide mean?

I've fought with these questions in the subway ride this morning. The NYC crowd rolling in joy about the Giants’ victory last night, oblivious to Indian Cricket and the agony. God I envy them! As a fan, I can only dig deep within looking for Hope, and all I find is Grief. That's it, plain, pure and shining 24-Karat Grief. I'm disgusted by the thought that the so called ‘Golden era of Indian Cricket’ is over before it started! Like it was all a media scam. Did it even happen!?! Will our greats hang up their boots to disappointing ends of their glorious careers? What does Adelaide mean to them?

It isn't well if it doesn't end well.

For me, the Adelaide test is simply something to look forward to, before the cathedrals of Cricket make way for rock concerts arenas, and the monstrosity of IPL devours everything that is pure and holy. Last year I hibernated through IPL basking in the glory of the World Cup victory. Watching highlights of the final, blissfully unaware of cries and moans of Cricket as IPL beat the **** out of it.

Life seems to be stuck on that same highlights clip loop, thanks to the fact that India has done little else to be proud of since that fateful six by Dhoni. What will help me through the hibernation this time around? The thought, along with Australian Open and a one month old baby, is what keeps me up at night. Be afraid, the voice in my head says, be very very afraid.

Sorry I digressed. Back to the test which promises to be most senseless and the most significant at the same time, we might see India capitulate hopelessly yet again, and guts that feel completely tapped out right now will find another level, find more pain in there. But my greatest worry is, what if we don’t? What if there is a historic fight back? Would seeing Sachin and VVS score hundreds really make a difference? Yes, it would provide a last shot in the arm, before Indian Cricket collapses into a terminal coma, but would it replace this emptiness, this cruel knowledge of the approaching end?

What does Adelaide mean to us?