Image Credit- AFP
“I’m proud. You
know what I’m like, an emotional guy, so yeah – get the tissues ready.”
This week, as he
prepares to win his 100th Test cap at the gorgeous HPCA stadium in the fifth
and final Test of this India-England series, Jonny Bairstow is ready to welcome
the tears. His odyssey, which started in May 2012 at Lord’s, will come to an
end in front of the Himalayas when he becomes the 17th English player to
feature in 100 Test matches.
“It’s absolutely stunning here,” Bairstow said of the setting, where
he also reached 100 ODI caps during last year’s World Cup. “I don’t think
there’s a more picturesque ground in the world. Cape Town is one of my
favourite places, but when you take a moment, look up at the mountains with the
snow and everything that goes with it up here in Dharamsala, it’s quite
incredible.”
On Monday,
Bairstow’s close friends and family arrived. They will be present with him on
Thursday during the cap ceremony. Their time is just as important as his,
especially for his mother Janet, her boyfriend, and their nine-month-old baby.
Following the 1997 suicide of their father, David, she raised Jonny and his
sister, Becky. Back then, Jonny was eight years old.
At the time, Janet was also fighting breast cancer, which came back in 2012 and
caused Bairstow to return home after his first tour of India. Because of all of
this, her presence in India is all the more remarkable.
“The strength and courage she’s shown to bring us both up, support us
tthrough the journey is huge. Without her, we wouldn’t be here today,” he
said. “It’s a special occasion for everyone who has been there on the
journey, from the guys at the Yorkshire academy through to Baz and the guys
here – everyone has had an input. Some better than others … but you have to
pick the good bits out and it all adds to the jigsaw at the end of the
puzzle.”
Even with this
indulgence in nostalgia, England still has to better their 3-1 scoreline. In
addition to offering a chance to salvage a series loss, this fifth Test offers
them the chance to make history by being the first team to win two Tests in
India since the host side’s final series loss in over a decade was caused by
Alastair Cook’s charges.
A noteworthy performance to round off the event would help Bairstow, who has
had a difficult series at bat, in some small manner. Over the course of eight
innings, he has had five scores of 25 or higher, but none of higher than 38,
giving him an average of 21.25. Also, he is 26 runs short of 6,000 for his
career.
“I have felt
good all series, just not got the runs I’ve wanted to … a couple of good
balls, a couple of bad decisions [on his part rather than the umpires’]. But
that’s what happens in India, it’s allowed to happen. The whole trip I’ve been
happy with how I’ve been moving, I’ve been in the zone the whole way.
“Like in every game, you put your best foot forward. No matter what it is,
I’ll be going out there, chewing my gum, puffing my chest out and trying to
have a good time with the other ten blokes out there. Whatever the situation
is, we’ll be going out there with smiles on our faces, like we have done in the
whole series.”