Test Cricket is the most fascinating form of cricket

It has been some time now, that there have been slight question marks over the very existence of test cricket. The depleting crowds at stadiums around the world stand testimony to this fact. Getting people to watch the longer version of the game is the most imperative challenge that world cricket faces. Be it Jacque kallis’s farewell test match where a handful of people turned up to celebrate their greatest modern day sporting icon bid adieu or the staggeringly less number of people in stadiums even in India to watch test cricket, all of these facts reiterate the declining interest of the public in test cricket and do not bode well for the game’s future.
However, others argue that test cricket has always had its own position and has not lost its sheen over the years. As a matter of fact, most cricketers still say playing test cricket for their country and doing well is their ultimate aim after all this is the form of the game where a cricketer gets to test himself the most. Test cricket brings to the play facets that ODIs and T20s don’t to a large extent like swing bowling, worn out 5th day tracks, playing session by session, managing a follow-on, declaration and many more. A player’s skill is tested to its very core apart from his technique, temperament and the ability to concentrate for long periods of time, whether you are a bowler or a batsman. This makes it more challenging for the players and hence more appealing. Similar is the case of a hardcore cricket enthusiast who understands the game. He would always prefer to watch a day of good test cricket with both the sides playing it hard rather than a one-dayer or even a close T20 encounter. Test cricket demands purity in your game and that’s the reason why even some players who have been successful in the shorter forms haven’t made the cut in test cricket; players like Michael Bevan, Yuvraj Singh and Yusuf Pathan come straight into mind in such cases. Test cricket poses challenges and which require tough decisions to be taken which shorter versions of the game never would. Moreover, test cricket amplifies the role of the pitch, wind, conditions, seam of the ball, thereby giving a multi-dimensional angle to the game which makes it captivating.
Despite all that, due to its complexity and slow nature many viewers do not understand the game and hence the low turnover of viewers but the major problem is viewers resorting to the shorter versions of the game at the cost of test cricket. This needs immediate attention of the ICC where it needs to be proactive in its steps to stop this eroding effect. For this, test matches played under artificial lights with a pink ball is a good option, the freehit can be introduced, lesser ticket prices and more incentives for watching cricket in stadiums and other such measure can be introduced which can prevent it from getting monotonous at times. Sure T20 and ODI cricket have more glamour associated with them and IPL has the money but a player’s true mettle and a viewer’s true delight still lies in test cricket and so the longer version of the game needs to be handled well and protected. Of course the players can play there part here as well as was seen in the recently concluded test match at Johannesburg between India and South Africa which despite finishing as a draw, was captivating for the whole of five days and provided us a glimpse of what test cricket can offer and that the longest version of the game still has enough to mesmerize us.