Four-day Test is worth a try, insists Sanjay Manjrekar

Four-day Test is worth a try, insists Sanjay Manjrekar

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Former India batsman and commentator Sanjay Manjrekar has stated that Test cricket needs to be presented eyeing fans’ interests in the sport and opined that it is worth trying out. The ICC has proposed this latest concept of a four-day Test so as to find space for another World event.

Sanjay Manjrekar, who has represented India in 37 Tests and 74 ODIs, was known for his ‘decisive technique’ that suited Test cricket has come in fore in support of shortening the oldest format as proposed by the International Cricket Council(ICC). With last few years in international cricket seeing a proportionate number of Test matches getting finished within three to four days time, the ICC has decided to have a discussion regarding the idea of reducing the longest format’s duration to four days. Manjrekar became the latest well-known cricketer to comment on the new idea. 

"Keep the core intact but cater Test cricket to fans' preferences. Television plays an important part here. They (the stakeholders of the game) know what exactly the fans want. Romantics of the game don't. Beware of the romantics of the game who want to stick to the tradition of Test cricket and make it more and more unviable in today's world," asserted Manjrekar while putting fan’s perspective to the fore.

The 54-year-old Manjrekar said popularity should be the motto with Test cricket.

"Popularity and following of Test cricket is more important than tradition. Beatle, the car, was discontinued by Volkswagen. (It was) because of lack of demand," the former India batsman remarked.

Manjrekar’s comments come days after former and current Indian cricketers like Sachin Tendulkar, team India head coach Ravi Shastri and Indian captain Virat Kohli has opposed the idea of truncated Tests. Going by the statistics that might have given Manjrekar a thought to support the new idea, in the last 10 years, 242 of the 433 Test had gone to the final day with a percentage of 55.88. In the last five years, between 2015 and 2019, 121 of the 224 games went into the fifth day, bearing 54 percentage.

He suggested that there can be a reserve day in case of weather issues. "I will support anything that will bring back the audiences. Four-day Test is worth a try," he signed off.

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