Small innovations are fine, but five-day Test cricket is romance, states Virender Sehwag
Virender Sehwag has said that while he is supportive of minor innovations like names on jerseys and pink ball Tests, he cannot be for the soul of 5-day Tests being changed. With his remarks, Sehwag has joined the likes of Virat Kohli and head coach Ravi Shastri in backing the traditional format.
ICC’s latest proposal to curtail Test cricket to four days in a bid to make the format more attractive has not gone down well with former greats and current players as well. And Sehwag, while delivering the seventh Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi Lecture at the BCCI Awards in his own inimitable way, said that the five-day format should only be changed when it becomes completely redundant.
“I have always supported change. I captained India in its first T20 game and I am proud of that. I was also part of India’s World T20 winning team in 2007. But five-day Test cricket is romance. Innovations like names on jerseys and pink ball Tests are fine. But diaper and five-day Tests should only be changed when its finished, when it can’t be used anymore,” Sehwag said.
“Five-day Test is not finished. Test cricket is a 143-year old fit person. It has a soul. ‘Char din ki sirf chandni hi hoti hai....Test cricket nahin’ (four days of moon is fine, not Test cricket),” he added.
Another former cricketer Anil Kumble had confirmed last week that the ICC Cricket Committee will meet and discuss the idea of four-day Test matches in the next set of meetings in March. In all likelihood, though, the change could get a red flag from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).
“I don’t think that’s fair to the purest format of the game. How cricket started initially, five-day Test matches was the highest test you can have at international level.It shouldn’t be altered,” Kohli said when asked about four-day Tests.
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