Top Six Countries Should Be Kept Away From Four Day Test Match Format: Ravi Shastri

Like Indian skipper Virat Kohli, Indian head coach Ravi Shastri has disagreed to promote four-day Test match. He doesn’t support any tamper in the traditional form of cricket while gave a lame advise the format being proposed by ICC.

International Cricket Council (ICC) wants to decrease the days of the ideal Test match. As the stats say, in the last two years, 60% Test matches ended within four days, so, seeing the figures, ICC has proposed the idea of the four-day Test match and wants to implement it from 2023 World Test Championship.

Unlike five-day Test match where 90 overs are bowled in a day, 98 overs will be bowled if four-day Test match is implemented. So, it will give more pressure on bowlers and will surely affect mentally and physically. Also, the spinners get more help from the pitch on the fifth day. Thus, it will make worse for the spinners.

If you want preserve Tests then let the top six play more against each other – Ravi Shastri

Ravi Shastri, who played 80 Test matches, has labelled the idea of ICC as nonsense, also, he has given prodigious advice. He said that the top six countries in Test cricket should play this format ideally while other left countries might be restricted to play within four days.

“Four-day Test is nonsense. If this goes on we may have limited overs Tests. There is no need to tamper with five-day Tests. If at all they want to tamper then let the top six sides play five-day Tests and the next six be allowed to play four-day Tests. If you want preserve Tests then let the top six play more against each other. You have the shorter format to popularise the game,” Shastri said in an interview with CNN News18.

The legendary Sachin Tendulkar, Nathan Lyon, Tim Paine, former cricketer Gautam Gambhir have opposed the four-day Test match. Gambhir has even claimed that it is a ridiculous idea and will bring more draw matches which will turn the game boring.