IND vs BAN | Can’t have Test cricket only for entertainment, says Virat Kohli
Virat Kohli has come out strongly against any notion of changing Test cricket into an entertainment-only format. As India take on Bangladesh in their first-ever day-night Test today, Kohli continued to argue that people need to get in line with the true nature of entertainment in Test cricket.
On many accounts, history will be made when India and Bangladesh go head-to-head at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Friday. But the plan to move Test cricket into a day-night format in a bid to draw a larger audience has not sat well with many of the stalwarts of the game — even someone like former umpire Simon Taufel. According to the Indian skipper, it is but a pity that people don’t respond to the true battles between bat and ball.
"In my opinion, this should not become the only way Test cricket is played. If that happens, you are losing out on the nervousness of the first session. You can bring excitement, but you can’t have Test cricket only for entertainment,” Kohli said at the Eden Gardens on Thursday, reported TOI.
"The entertainment of Test cricket lies in the batsman trying to survive a session and bowlers trying to set him up. If people don’t respond to that, too bad. Someone who gets a boost from this battle, in my opinion, those are the ones who should come to watch, because they understand the game," he said.
However, at the other end of the spectrum lies the plain fact that, for several years, attendance in Test matches has gradually declined. But Kohli believes this can be solved with the concept of having a set of Test centres as it would help the spectator plan accordingly.
"Rahul bhai mentioned about a Test calendar where series and Tests are fixed. It will be a lot more systematic and help people plan their calendar… It can’t be random. People will not leave work and come to Test, it has to be planned like anything in life," he said.
The BCCI has constantly sought to maintain Test cricket as the highest form of the game in the country, but Kohli reckons there is more work to be done to take care of Test specialists in the national team setup.
"As Tests are said to be the most important format, everything around that has to happen in the same manner. Other formats are taking care of themselves. You have so many people coming to play white-ball cricket, but Test specialists are very difficult to find. Only someone who has gone through the grind playing 5-6 years of first-class cricket is the one who eventually makes it. I think these players need to be taken care of," Kohli added.
