One of the big sore points many fans had during the Test series between South Africa and India was that it was only two Tests long. With the matches bearing witness to interesting cricket, the fans were left wanting more. They shouldn’t have such complaints this time around. India are taking on England in a five-Test series. India coach Rahul Dravid believes that a five-Test series is like a marathon, and the players will need to pace themselves. More importantly, it gives teams a chance to make a comeback even if they start poorly.
Time is important also because Test cricket badly needs contests. Too often have we seen one-sided matches hurt the format. But when teams get a chance to learn and adapt, they invariably become better. England will have a chance to do that and perhaps take the challenge to India. A close match will bring in the crowds, too, as no other format can create the kind of prolonged tension that Tests can, and for too long, Indian crowds have been robbed of that feeling.
There has always been talk that Test cricket should perhaps be held at the traditional venues (Mumbai, Chennai, Delhi, Kolkata, Bengaluru). Former skipper Virat Kohli had spoken about it in the past. But the BCCI and skipper Rohit Sharma don’t subscribe to that view. They believe Test cricket should be spread far and wide and there should be no discrimination when it comes to allocating matches. Only time will tell us what the right approach is as the BCCI tries to get more people into the stadiums, but nothing will do the trick more than some good old Test cricket.
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