International Test Cricket is coming back to Terrestrial TV and people across the country are rightfully rejoicing but I have found myself to be in a slight predicament because I do not have a TV license. The main reason for this is that I have no need to watch live TV as I get more than enough of my Television fix through Amazon Prime and I have taken a stand against funding the BBC after their disgraceful behaviour against Cliff Richard and the gradual degradation of impartiality of the BBC. I can quickly move on from the second reason, but then I have to justify paying £157.50 a year to buy a TV license.

If I have to watch the entire series between India and England then it will probably cost me £39 provided that I am able to get a refund on my license which I am not optimistic considering the way I was interrogated when I called TV license to cancel it when I no longer needed it. They tried their very best to get me to admit that I would watch live TV. I came close to feeling intimidated but I prevailed as the person I was talking to grudgingly gave in. The problem will arise when I get tempted to watch other series too and suddenly what started as £13 per month can quickly snowball into nearly £50 if not more.

I honestly can’t find a way to justify paying money to watch cricket, especially in these times when people are losing their loved ones, jobs and livelihood, especially in the BAME community. I will follow the game on social media, various cricket sites and commentary on YouTube. It will not be easy, especially considering the series’s relevance as the winner will play New Zealand if the victory margins are sufficient. I am confident in my abilities to analyse and write about the game by following the written commentary and watching any highlight clips that are uploaded. Sentiments are needed in analysis, but too much can be as problematic as nothing at all. I would like England to win the series failing which I would like to see India win by a good enough margin so that Australia are knocked out.