India skipper Virat Kohli has become the latest cricketer to oppose the idea of "four-day Test" as he doesn’t support any changes which hurts the sanctity of the traditional format.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) is mulling over trimming Tests to four days from five for the 2023-2031 World Test Championship cycle. The idea behind this thought process is to free up the calendar to accommodate more commercially lucrative white-ball cricket.
While this is at the proposal stage, Cricket Australia had expressed its intent of trying out the format despite captain Time Paine and veteran spinner Nathan Lyon’s reluctance.
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"According to me, it should not be altered. As I said, the day-night is another step towards commercialising Test cricket and you know, creating excitement around it, but it can't be tinkered with too much. I don't believe so," Kohli told reporters on the eve of first T20I against Sri Lanka in Guwahati.
Team India recently played their maiden pink ball Test against Bangladesh and that's about the only change Virat would like in the longest format for now.
"You know the Day-Night Test is the most that should be changed about Test cricket, according to me," he said.
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The India captain feels that the proposal in reducing a day from five can't be right as one might talk about having "three-day Tests" in future.
"Then you are purely only talking about getting numbers, entertainment and you know. I think the intent will not be right then because then you will speak of three-day Tests. I mean where do you end. Then you will speak of Test cricket disappearing," Kohli remarked.
"So I don't endorse that at all. I don't think that is fair to the purest format of the game. How cricket started initially, and you know five-day Tests was the highest of tests you can have at the International level."
With the No. 1 Test batsman not endorsing the idea, ICC may find it difficult to implement it.
"T20 was a revelation (in terms) of introduction of a new format. I was asked about the 100-ball format (introduced by ECB) and I said I am not going to go and try myself out in another kind of format because there's already so much going on," Virat Kohli concluded.
(With PTI inputs)
