Test cricket is the longest form of the game. It is not only the longest form but also deals with patience and consideration. Unlike the T20s which end up within 4 hours, test cricket has something new daily. Lasting till 5 days test cricket has a lot of twists and turns. In that condition, predicting a winner is not children’s play.
For example, in 2020, when India was touring Australia for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, India was on the driving seat in the first test. Until the third day started. India played 45 minutes of bad cricket and got all out on 36. Australia ended up chasing a mere total of 90 runs. A lot of cricket pundits were shocked and stunned by seeing this. By the end of day two, it was expected that India will be able to win but ultimately, they lost.
In the same test series, the fourth test match, the target was not less than a mountain and nobody thought that India would win. Especially when your tailenders saved you in the first innings. But from there India won a historic test match and broke Gabba’s fortress of the Aussies.
These examples might be a disappointment for many of us, but these things take place very rarely. Every team takes care of all these things and makes their playing 11 based on that. Apart from the playing 11, there are also some things that we must keep in mind before making today match prediction. Some of them are listed below-
- Recent performance-
Teams usually perform better when they are in their current form. Further, the team that has won a lot of Test cricket matches has a higher probability of winning them. Confidence, however, is an important factor here. It is important to look at each team’s performance in the last few matches before predicting a Test match. Therefore, predicting Test cricket matches is more dependent on the current form.
- Conditions
The condition of the cricket ground has a huge influence on the test cricket matches. Truth be told, he had a much bigger influence on the longer version of cricket. In addition, because the test matches were very long and lasted five days, field conditions could change from day to day. Therefore, the pitch condition holds an important card in the predictions for the test cricket match. Predicting the match depends on knowing the weather conditions. As the weather condition shows, it either helps or causes problems for either side. Overcast conditions, for instance, require the toss winner to bowl.
- Head-to-Head-
It’s good to check the head-to-head record of the two teams. Check out the last 5 head-to-head matches at least. This will give a good picture of their face in the face of a challenge. In addition, the team with a good head-to-head record is likely to overwhelm the opponent. So, it’s clear that head-to-head record is an important factor in predicting today’s test cricket matches.
- Home Ground Advantage
In sports, the home condition has a great advantage. The cheers and crowds of home fans, the family environment, the crowd, etc. have a profound impact on the overall performance of a team. In cricket, the advantage of playing at home is a great advantage, especially in test cricket. Specifically, since test cricket is the longest version of the game, players must keep their bodies in shape and maintain their confidence for five days. Local stadiums always play an important role in the strength of any team. This analysis will help you find out how a particular team fared in your homeland and what stats it has. This will help you understand if a person can take advantage of the game at home. Therefore, the home team has a greater advantage, and the home away status has a great impact on the prediction of today’s test cricket game.
- Player Analysis
It is a very important thing to predict test matches. As Test Cricket is the biggest format in cricket, cricketers must be at their best and perform at the highest level to be successful. But it’s not that easy. On the other hand, maintaining the pace for five long days is not an easy thing to do. However, the players who can do that will eventually achieve success in the end. The player analysis is a farsighted way to judge the situation of both teams and find out their strengths and weaknesses. Thus, you can also find a clear view of the team’s strengths and weaknesses.
In the beginning, there is a mention of exceptions. It depends upon the mental condition of cricketers that how do they handle pressure and conditions. Sometimes, when everything is in your hand, you lose the game as in the first test match vs Australia in 2020. On the other days, it is totally vice versa, you can win in the condition where you are on the verge of losing. For example, India in Lord’s and Oval in 2021. The Indian team took the match out of the mouth of the England team and stunned everyone with their performance.
These are the key factors that should be kept in mind before making a test match prediction. Apart from these points, there are some things that should be kept in mind like weather forecast and toss. However, they are totally interconnected with each other with the above-mentioned points. Concluding all these things, one must keep an eye on these factors to make their prediction accurate and up to the mark.