Team India skipper Virat Kohli has urged the national cricket boards to take more responsibility to save the Test cricket from getting extinct.
Meanwhile, there have been speculations over the future of Test cricket. The International Cricket Council (ICC) is trying to popularise the game and attract more people.
Kohli feels the commercial aspect of the game is taking over the real quality. Furthermore, he added that it is really hurtful to witness the falling trend of the longer format.
“I feel somewhere the commercial aspect is taking over the real quality of cricket and that hurts me,” Kohli said to Wisden Cricket Monthly.
Giving a sound warning to cricket boards around the globe, Kohli said that first-class cricket needs to get its due importance to ensure players still feel motivated to play Test cricket.
“If you’re not going to give more importance to first-class cricket, then people are going to lose motivation to play the longest format of the game. I think there’s far greater responsibility on all the cricket boards across the world to treat first-class cricket really well, because if the facilities and the standard go up, then the motivation always stays. You don’t want players to get into that mindset where they’re finding the easy way out,” Virat Kohli added.
Test cricket is the ultimate form
The India skipper added the Test cricket is the ultimate form of cricket. He also noted that it gives the ultimate job satisfaction.
“I think that if you really understand the sport, if you really love the sport, you understand Test cricket and you understand how exciting it is. I cannot explain to you the job satisfaction that you get when you do well in Test cricket,” he adds.
In conclusion, Virat Kohli admitted that Test Championship will give a huge push to Test cricket to revive its existence.