Ashwin acknowledged that having a limited number of Test centres helps the players.
While star spinner Ravichandran Ashwin acknowledged that having a limited number of Test centres helps the players, he refused to comment on if India should follow this model.
Notably, Kanpur’s Green Park Stadium came under criticism after two days of the second Test between India and Bangladesh were called off due wet outfield.
Many fans argued that the drainage facility at the venue was substandard and it doesn’t deserve to host a Test match. In fact, some suggested that the Indian team should limit its Test centres to just five cities, as suggested by former skipper Virat Kohli in 2019.
"Does it help a player if you have just a few Test centres? Most certainly it does," Ashwin said after defeated Bangladesh by seven wickets in Kanpur Test on Tuesday (October 1).
"Because when we go to Australia, they play India only at five Test centres. They don't play us in Canberra. They don't play us at any of the other venues where they won't be very familiar with the conditions. So do England."
"They have select Test centres and that's where they play. Some of those are only white-ball centres. Can we do it here (in India)? That's above my pay grade. I cannot comment on that," he added.
Before highlighting the advantages of limited Test centres, Ashwin explained how cricket benefits by having various venues for the longest format.
"Firstly, what are the benefits that Indian cricketers attain by having so many Test centers are, you have got cricketers who come and play Test cricket from every nook and corner of this country,” he said.
"It is a huge country and it has triggered that sort of urgency and that sort of passion amongst cricketers to be able to come and play for this country. That is a big positive.
"The second of it is there are certain requisite ingredients that go into making a Test match happen. Like, for the weather and the kind of drainage that we need to be able to invest on. These are no-brainers," he remarked.
Talking about young batters Yashaswi Jaiswal and Shubhman Gill, Ashwin said he had no doubt that they were stars in the making.
"I would say both of them are in the native days or the formative years of playing Test Cricket but I do see that there will be the future pillars and overseas shores that they're going to encounter shortly will also enhance and enrich their experience going forward in their wonderful Test journey. They both are special, we all know that."
The Rohit Sharma-led side played an aggressive brand of cricket to pull off a remarkable seven-wicket victory with a session to spare on the final day at the Green Park Stadium.
With this win, Team India also strengthened their position at the top of the World Test Championship (WTC) points table. They are currently firm-favorites to make it to the WTC final for the third consecutive time.
Ashwin said coming out to bat with an ultra-aggressive approach was a plan they had to adopt to force a result in the rain-marred Kanpur Test.
"We know how Yashasvi is going to play but Rohit walked out and just tonked the first ball for six. So when you walk the talk, obviously the dressing room doesn't have any other choice but to follow that same pattern. We have 50 runs out of 3 overs," he concluded.
(With PTI Inputs)