Is Test Cricket Really Dying?

“Long Live Test Cricket While We Have Virat Kohli” said Shane Warne after India defeated England in the recently concluded 4th Test of the 5 match Test Series.

In this blog we will tell you what all lead to the legendary leg-spinner making such a comment. Let’s start with how Test Cricket has evolved over the years. The first ever Test Match was played between England & Australia way back in 1877. Team India made its test debut before independence in 1932. Since then, many countries have been awarded Test status by the ICC. The most recent inclusions in Test Cricket are those of Afghanistan & Ireland who were awarded test status in 2018. Over time Test Cricket has seen many dominating eras. The mighty West Indies dominated the format in the 80’s & 90’s with the help of quality players like Viv Richards, Curtly Ambrose, Michael Holding, Malcolm Marshall etc. The turn of the century marked the era of the Aussies where the Pontings, McGraths, Waughs, Gilchrists dominated world cricket. There were intense player rivalries in this era like Tendulkar vs McGrath, Lara vs Muralitharan, Ponting vs Harbhajan etc.

ALL TITANS IN ONE FRAME

Until then Test Cricket was the dominating format with the ODI Format generating buzz during the time of the World Cups. Test Cricket did not have any tournaments to crown a nation as the champions, but the quality of cricket played by the teams kept it going without facing any hurdles. But until then there was a rookie ready to stamp its authority on the cricket world. The World saw its first ever T20 World Cup in 2007. Being the shortest format, it generated a lot of buzz and it lived up to the expectations as well.

Later that year the BCCI announced the commencement of the Indian Premier League which went on to become the largest Franchise based cricket league in the world. The achievements of the IPL encouraged other cricketing nations to start T20 leagues of their own. Standing tall among other leagues both Big Bash and Caribbean Premier League were successful initiatives generating both revenue & recognition for the host countries. The T20 format attracted both the audiences & investors who were ready to spend the big bucks as sponsors/ advertisers/ broadcasters etc. Moreover with 4 overseas players being allowed in the starting XI & 8 in the squad per franchise of the IPL, overseas players began to prioritize T20 cricket over other formats as it gave them more revenue.

Overawed by the fame and money that one can earn in this format the new generation of cricketers coming through the ranks are more inclined towards playing T20 cricket which involves more of fashioned stroke play and power hitting as opposed to fighting it out each ball in Test Cricket. With most of the Test Specialists retiring in the early part of the previous decade those who have played the sport feared that Test Cricket would die if something wasn’t done. After years of debates & discussions the ICC came up with the inaugural World Test Championship (WTC) in 2019. In a 2-year cycle all the Test Playing Nations play 6 Test Series (3 Home & 3 Away) and the 2 teams with the highest point percentage play the Final.

The World Test Championship got off to a fantastic start with the Ashes Series & the Headingley Heist courtesy a Ben Stokes Special. In early 2021 India played a series for the ages against Australia as they went on to win the Border Gavaskar Trophy at Gabba courtesy a Rishabh Pant special after the humiliating 36 all out at Adelaide. Despite these feats it was evident that only Australia, England, India & New Zealand were able to play the quality of Test cricket that needs to be played. Sri Lanka, West Indies, Pakistan & South Africa weren’t the forces they once were. This situation led to the question being asked that is Test Cricket really dying?

Ben Stokes & Rishabh Pant

On the contrary the BCCI has always prioritized playing Test Cricket and at the helm of this all is Virat Kohli who’s passion for the game has inspired millions to pick up cricket as a profession. His love for Test Cricket can be seen in his aggressive approach. Right now, India is the heart of cricket and the brand of cricket that the Indian Team is currently playing has attracted a lot of fans to the format. India won their first ever Test Series down under in 2018/19 and backed it up with another series win in 2020/21 overcoming a lot of challenges. Test Cricket has regained its popularity in India and hands down all credit should go to Virat Kohli for that. Virat Kohli right now is ICC’s unofficial brand ambassador for Test Cricket.

Today India is dominating World Cricket and with the limelight on Virat Kohli at all times it would be safe to assume that Test Cricket is safe until he’s around. The real Question to ask would be will Virat Kohli be able to inspire enough people around the world to keep Test Cricket Alive after he retires?

As cricket fans we certainly hope that he does because we would love to see the Test Format grow even more. Do Like, Share & Comment if you liked this blog and let us know your thoughts in the comments section.