The longest and oldest format of cricket has been surrounded by the danger of its extinction. To make Test cricket more lively, the International Cricket Council (ICC) always try adding new tactics in this format. Now, the ICC has proposed to test the four-day Test match from World Test Championship 2023 edition. The Indian skipper Virat Kohli has clearly criticised the idea of the four-day Test match and the former Indian cricketer Gautam Gambhir has also supported him.
ICC’s new proposal has increased the debates in the cricket world. Players like Nathan Lyon and Tim Paine are against while former cricketers Michael Vaughan and Mark Taylor have supported the idea.
Four-day Tests will have 98 overs in a day, unlike five-day Tests which see 90 overs bowled in a day. According to facts, more than 60 per cent of Test matches since 2018 finished inside four days. So, ICC is supporting the fact to start the four-day Test match.
While Virat Kohli didn’t like the idea and he clearly stated that he didn’t support any idea to make changes in the purest form of cricket. He even said that entertainment and business should not be the intent of Test cricket.
The four-day Test match will bring more draws: Gautam Gambhir
The cricketer-turned-politician Gautam Gambhir, who is always vocal in giving his opinion about the subject surrounding cricket, has also clearly supported the words of Virat Kohli. He believes introducing the four-day Test match is a ridiculous idea and it will bring too many draw matches.
“At the outset, let me say that I think four-day Test matches are a ridiculous idea and should be dropped immediately. It will invite drawn games, will have no place for spinners and will take away the charm of playing on a wearing fifth-day pitch,” Gambhir wrote for TOI column
Besides this, Gautam Gambhir gave the solutions to make the Test cricket more attractive and thrilling.
“Some felt said day-night Test cricket is the future, others felt better management of players’ fitness was the need of the hour. I also heard that cricket needs an ‘American marketing hand’ to make it more of a global game. When my turn came, I listed two aspects: lack of champion cricketers and lively pitches.”