As per report from sources on Thursday against New Zealand, India will play its 500th Test match, a feat previously reached only by England (976 Tests), Australia (791) and West Indies (517), where England's landmark occasion was a low scoring thriller against Pakistan at Headingley in 1974, but a fifth day wash out meant the match was drawn, showing yet again that the British weather has no respect for any occasion.
Meanwhile Australia's quinquennial Test has seen them defeat their oldest enemy in an Ashes clash at the MCG in 1990, while the West Indies celebrated theirs by crushing Bangladesh at Gros Islet in 2014 and captain Virat Kohli is a man you suspect will undoubtedly wish to keep the razzmatazz to a minimum, but even the great steely browed one has been drawn into the celebrations.
It was added that the match itself has India cast firmly as favorites, though thoughts of their Mitch Santner-inspired collapse on home soil to the Black Caps in this year's World T20 will undoubtedly be lingering, albeit very quietly, at the back of a few home players' minds.
No matter how many centuries of Test matches teams play, dissatisfaction with boards and pitches are clearly two perennials of cricket that will never, ever disappear.
