Test cricket is the oldest and longest format of cricket. It takes a maximum of 5 days to finish a match, and in some cases, more than five days are needed to give the result, and then it ends in a draw. But why am I talking about test cricket? In recent years, it has seen a decline in the audience on the ground. It’ll be difficult for players, broadcasters, and people watching cricket at home to continue because fans make players more enthusiastic and they stretch their limits. The match seems exciting to an audience, and we have seen it during the pandemic.
You may be thinking, why revive test cricket? When we have too many leagues, and the IPL is producing cricket news for India every day, why would we spend the whole day watching a test match and returning home without a result? Let’s see the importance of Test cricket.
Importance of Test Cricket
No one can deny that the popularity of test cricket has fallen after the introduction of the T-20 format and T-20 leagues. If we look back, test cricket was in the cricket news for India more than IPL does. But no one can deny that test cricket is the first format of cricket.
Every genuine cricket follower knows how competitive test cricket is, and it tests the player on a personal level, professional level, and athletic level. Test cricket is a test of character and mental toughness. It doesn’t matter if test cricket is running on a seaming track or spinning track players who are focused and mentally tough will continue for a long time. Batters will have to play sensibly for a long time to play a good knock, while bowlers must be consistent in the bowl to set up a batter. Do you know how strong a player is on mental, physical, and skill levels while watching test matches? Players like Virat Kohli, Ravindra Jadeja, and Rohit Sharma are a cricket new for India, and they all agree on this “test cricket makes you a better player.”
If you are a cricket fan and have been watching test cricket for a long time, you have observed that test cricket is not about glamor and hype. It is pure cricket and shows how playing in a team is essential. A small contribution from every individual can put a team far ahead, while a single person can do anything alone. Test cricket is similar to life, every ball is like a problem, and a match is a life. How we react to the difficulty tells us whether we are moving forward or not. For example, we can pick an innings of Cheteshwar Pujara that became cricket news for India and the world. India was on a tour of Australia in 2021, and Pujara became a nightmare for Australia and defeated the Austrian bowler on a mental level.
How Will Fans Reach the Stadium In India?
No matter how often we say that test cricket is the best format, playing five days long with an empty stadium or a small number of fans in the stadium is not worth it. The number of fans in stadiums has decreased in India, and IPL may be the reason. Good innings or spells of players may be able to become the cricket news for India, but it needs to be able to pull the audience to the stadium. Yeah! Test cricket takes a maximum of 5 days to give the result, but it still needs to be more entertaining. Ultimately, everything will come down to how much money the broadcaster has made and how much viewership TV got. Everything depends on the fans. So, let’s see how fans will reach the stadium.
Most cricket matches happen in the big city, whether IPL or international. So, the hunger for watching one’s favorite cricketer decreases over time, and no one tries to make an effort to leave their work for one day. At the same time, you’ll not see a small city getting an international match. Shifting international matches to small cities will increase the number of fans in the stadium. Everyone will make an effort to attend the match and get a chance to watch their favorite player play.
Giving students a free entry to watch their favorite player and take inspiration. It will work in both ways, broadcasters will get the audience, the players’ enthusiasm will increase, and students will inspire. You never know who will become the next Kohli, Dhoni, or Sachin and produce cricket news for India.
ICC, BCCI, and other cricketing boards have tried hard to make it more entertaining. They have made many changes in recent years, which has also paid off. A day-night game with pink balls is the output of that. No one has to take a day off from their work to watch a test match, and they can watch the match after work, and the pink ball has made cricket more challenging and riveting. The World test championship is also one of the great moves to bring the audience to the stadium. Everyone manages their time somehow to watch an ICC event, and a trophy will bring more competitiveness to the game.
Undoubtedly, test cricket is the best format of the game. But it needs an audience to entertain people in the future. ICC has made several changes to make this riveting, day-night game with the pink ball and world test champions trophy the result of ICC efforts. Players like Rishabh Pant are also needed to make test cricket riveting, and he has produced so much memorable cricket news for India.
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