G.R. Viswanath feels Ranji trophy should be promoted to revitalise Test in India
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
‘Coloured clothes, ball will ruin Test cricket’
Mumbai: With the jury still out on the direction in which Test cricket is heading towards, the International Cricket Council (ICC) is contemplating a few changes to revitalise Test cricket in order to bring the crowds back to the stadiums. In a free-wheeling interview, G.R. Vishwanath, one of India's finest batsmen ever, shares his views on the fate of Test cricket and much more…
The Ashes has captured the imagination of the public in England. The tickets for every Test have been sold out. Why don’t we, in India, get that kind of crowds for Test cricket anymore?
A lot of youngsters have started enjoying Twenty20 cricket. Look at the Indian Premier League (IPL) for example; there were packed crowds for T20 games in South Africa, even though it was an Indian domestic tournament. The problem is that maybe in our country the fans want to watch lots of T20 and ODIs and are not able to devote time to Test cricket. It wasn’t the case earlier when the public used to love Test cricket. However, the ICC is chalking out plans to revitalise Test cricket and we can only hope for the best.
Do you support the ICC’s plans to repackage Test cricket? If yes, what sort of changes do you think are feasible?
We have reached a stage now wherein it’s imperative for the ICC to make some changes to Test cricket. Test cricket is all about skills and it is cricket’s greatest product. I cannot blame the ICC for trying to repackage it since it is fast losing interest, at least in countries besides Australia and England. I support the idea of day/night Tests and even four-day Tests to some extent, but I am completely against coloured clothing and coloured balls. It will completely ruin the essence of Test cricket.
What measures will you suggest to popularise Test match among youngsters in India?
The biggest problem is the T20 format. There is so much money involved and a youngster can just play a couple of T20 seasons and he is secured. It is not a good sign. We need to give Ranji Trophy and Duleep Trophy more prominence. That is the only way to ensure that youngsters will treasure and pride the longer versions of the game and go on to become good Test cricketers. It is all up to the individuals. If a youngster wants to truly play Test cricket and achieve great heights like Tendulkar and Dravid, he will focus on the job.
Why is it that Indians don’t value Test cricket as much as England or Australia?
That’s not entirely true I feel. We have had some great Test cricket in this country, some of the greatest matches ever. I think Ashes holds a special place in the hearts of people because of the history involved. Otherwise, even in England and Australia the standard of Test cricket is going down. You don’t find the same crowds coming in for other Tests. The rapid loss of interest of Test cricket is universal and not confined to India alone. If you saw in New Zealand earlier this year, there were average crowds for the Tests.
Do you agree with Gary Kirsten’s comments? Should India set its priorities?
I think this is an issue that’s to be tackled by individual boards. England is still playing at least 12 to 15 Test matches every year. It is purely up to the boards and the ICC.
Can the 50-over format survive?
The ICC needs to do something quickly. Before T20 gained prominence, nobody was talking about this. The important point here is that T20 has gained immense amount of prominence today. It is showing in everything. If you play three ODIs and three T20s, you can see the difference in crowds. One-day format is becoming a little boring because people have now been exposed to Twenty20. If we continue to play more Twenty20s I am afraid 50-over format will struggle to survive.
