World Test Championship (WTC) Final 2025 ab kuch hi din door hai, aur Australia ke liye ek bada sawaal hai – Cameron Green kya sach mein No. 3 par batting karne ke liye taiyaar hain? Yeh ek aisa position hai jo na sirf skill, balki mental toughness aur consistency maangta hai. Green, jo apne all-rounder role ke liye jaane jaate hain, ab ek naye avatar mein dikhayi de rahe hain – ek specialist batter ke roop mein. Lekin kya yeh nayi zimmedari unke liye bojh ban jayegi, ya woh isse apne career ka turning point bana lenge? Aaiye is par thodi roshni daalte hain.
Cameron Green ke liye yeh safar asaan nahi raha. Pichhle 15 mahino se woh Test cricket se door the, aur is dauraan unki back surgery bhi hui. Ek all-rounder ke taur par, Green hamesha apni bowling aur batting ke beech balance banaye rakhne ki koshish mein rahe. Lekin ab, jab unka jism Test cricket mein bowling ka bojh nahi utha sakta, Australia ke coach aur captain Pat Cummins ne unhe ek nayi zimmedari di hai – No. 3 par batting. Yeh position Australia ke liye hamesha challenging raha hai. Marnus Labuschagne, jo is WTC cycle mein sirf 28.33 ke average se run bana sake, is spot par struggle kar rahe hain. Iske alawa, David Warner ke retirement ke baad team ke batting order mein hamesha ek khali jagah si mehsoos hoti hai. Green ke liye yeh mauka bada hai, lekin pressure bhi utna hi zyada.
No. 3 ka role koi asaan kaam nahi. Yeh ek aisa position hai jahan aapko shuruaat mein hi world-class bowlers ka saamna karna padta hai. South Africa ke pace attack, jisme Kagiso Rabada aur Marco Jansen jaise bowlers hain, Lord’s ke seaming conditions mein aur bhi khatarnak ho sakte hain. AB de Villiers ne bhi South African batters ko warn kiya hai ki Lord’s ke pitch par ball hawa mein aur surface se bhi kaafi movement karti hai. Green ke liye, jo pichhle kuch samay se Test cricket se door rahe, yeh ek badi chunauti ho sakti hai. Kya woh is pressure ko jhel payenge, yeh dekhna hoga.
Lekin yahan baat sirf chunautiyon ki nahi hai. Green ke paas talent ki koi kami nahi, aur unhone isse pehle bhi sabit kiya hai. Yaad kijiye 2024 ka Wellington Test, jab Green ne No. 4 par batting karte hue 174 not out ki shandaar innings kheli. Yeh innings unke career ka ek aham pal tha, jisme unhone tricky conditions mein bhi apni class dikhayi. Is baar, Green ke paas ek nayi taiyaari bhi hai. Unhone England mein county cricket khela, jahan unhone teen centuries banayi aur apne batting skills ko aur behtar kiya. Green khud kehte hain, “England mein batting ke liye main is baar sabse zyada taiyaar hoon. County cricket khelne ka fayda hua, aur maine alag-alag conditions mein kaise khelna hai, yeh seekha.”
Green ka confidence bhi unke liye ek bada plus point hai. Ek X post mein unhone kaha, “Jab aap batting aur bowling dono karte hain, toh batting par focus kam ho jata hai. Sirf batting karna abhi ke liye achha lag raha hai.” Yeh nayi role unke liye ek mauka hai apne aap ko ek pure batter ke roop mein sthapit karne ka. Australia ke coach Andrew McDonald bhi Green ki adaptability ki taareef karte hain, aur unhe team ka ‘X-factor’ maan rahe hain.
Iske alawa, Green ka junior cricket ka record bhi unke favor mein hai. Unhone junior level par aksar No. 3 par batting ki hai, toh yeh position unke liye bilkul nayi nahi hai. Steve Smith ke No. 4 par wapas aane ke saath, Green ke liye No. 3 ek perfect spot ho sakta hai. Smith, jo Lord’s mein hamesha shandaar rahe hain (unka average yahan 55 se zyada hai), Green ke liye ek inspiration ho sakte hain. Agar Green is mauke ko dono haathon se lapak le, toh yeh na sirf Australia ke batting order ko mazboot karega, balki unke career ko bhi nayi disha dega.
Lekin har kahani ka ek doosra pehlu bhi hota hai. Green ke talent aur taiyaari par koi shak nahi, lekin WTC Final jaise bade stage par performance ka pressure alag hota hai. South Africa ki team, jo pehli baar WTC Final khel rahi hai, puri tarah se motivated hai. Temba Bavuma ki captaincy mein unhone West Indies, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka aur Pakistan ke khilaf lagataar 7 Test jeete hain. Yeh team apne ‘chokers’ tag ko hamesha ke liye khatam karna chahti hai, aur Lord’s ke iconic ground par yeh unke liye ek bada mauka hai.
Australia ke liye bhi yeh match asaan nahi hoga. Unke bowlers – Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc aur Nathan Lyon – duniya ke sabse behtareen hain, lekin batting line-up mein consistency ki kami dikh rahi hai. Marnus Labuschagne ka form ek chinta ka vishay hai, aur Usman Khawaja ke saath opening ka sawaal bhi abhi tak suljha nahi hai. Green par bharosa hai, lekin agar woh No. 3 par fail ho gaye, toh Australia ka middle-order khatnaye mein aa sakta hai. Yaad kijiye 1999 ka World Cup semi-final, jab South Africa ke Alan Donald ke run-out ne unki team ke sapno ka gala ghot diya tha. Aise hi ek chhota sa mistake Green ke liye bada nuksan kar sakta hai.
Cameron Green ke liye yeh WTC Final ek bada mauka hai, lekin sath hi ek badi pariksha bhi. Unka talent, unki taiyaari, aur unka confidence unhe ek nayi unchai par le ja sakta hai. Lekin cricket ek aisa khel hai jahan ek galti aapko pichhe dhakel sakti hai. Kya Green Lord’s ke pressure ko jhel payenge? Kya woh South Africa ke pace attack ke saamne tik payenge? Yeh sawaal abhi ankhule hain, aur jawab ke liye hame 11 June ka inte kaar karna hoga. Tab tak, bas umeed hai ki Green apne ‘generational talent’ ke tag ko sahi sabit karenge, lekin cricket ka itihas batata hai ki bade mauke aksar bade heartbreak ke saath aate hain.
