The four-day Test, which is proposed by the International Cricket Council (ICC), has become a point of discussion in the cricketing world. Many cricketers – present and former, and spectators are expressing their views on the idea. The idea has been getting widespread opposition from cricketers round the world.
The Indian head coach, Ravi Shastri, in an interview, expressed his take on the four-day-tests and he has echoed the same sentiments. Terming the ICC’s idea as ‘nonsense’, Ravi Shastri said:
“Four day Test is nonsense. If this goes on we may have limited overs Tests. There is no need to tamper with five-day Tests. If at all they want to tamper then let the top six sides play five-day Tests and the next six be allowed to play four-day Tests. If you want to preserve Tests then let the top six play more against each other. You have the shorter format to popularise the game”
Furthermore, Ravi Shastri also criticized the day-night tests, that happened recently for the first time in India. Talking about the day-night test, Ravi Shastri said:
“Day-Night Test is still under test. I still feel that pink ball does not give any advantage to spinners, they need to get the ball right for day night. During the day you have full Tests, by night it looks like half Test,”
He added:
“I still feel that you will get more people to watch Tests if you have the top six play each other (more often),”
Besides Ravi Shastri, a number of leading test cricketers including the likes of Virat Kohli, Ben Stokes, Rohit Sharma and Tim Paine have openly criticized the four-day Test.
Opposing the idea, Virat Kohli said that he doesn’t endorse the idea of the four-day test as it won’t be fair to the longest format of the game. He said:
“Four-day Tests? Look, I’m not a fan of [it],” he said, “I think the intent will not be right then because then you will speak of three-day Tests, where do you end? Then you speak of Test cricket disappearing. I don’t endorse that at all.”
He added:
“I don’t think that’s fair to the purest format of the game – how cricket started initially and five-day Test matches was the highest of tests you can have at the international level. According to me, it shouldn’t be altered.”
Rohit Sharma, on the other hand, gave a hilarious reply when he was asked about the idea. Opposing it, Rohit Sharma said:
“If it is a four-day, it is not a Test match. Four-day means a first-class match. It is as simple as that,”
