Relief from riots

Cricket as a retreat from the harsher realities of the world does not please everybody, but the game's sense of moral compass has never seemed more valuable, writes David Hopps in the Guardian.

Seven hours at a Test match was an opportunity to become absorbed in something different. There was talk of spectators who had become caught up in the riots, whose houses had been broken into, or shops damaged, and as the crowd became silent one wondered if thoughts were straying elsewhere. Then Gautam Gambhir dragged Tim Bresnan on to his stumps, driving, and the crowd roared its approval. It was a powerful, communal roar. It has rarely sounded so good.