Former India cricketer Yuvraj Singh has shared his opinions on whether Test cricket is on its way out and the T20 format is taking over. While most former cricketers are still rallying for Test cricket, Yuvraj, part of India's 2007 T20 World Cup and 2011 World Cup wins, has a somewhat different perspective.
People prefer to play the game's shorter format, according to the two-time World Cup winner.
“Test cricket is dying. People want to watch T20 cricket; people want to play T20 cricket,” Yuvraj said on Sports18’s program Home of Heroes.
The former swashbuckling left-hander believes that the big money earned by players in the shorter format compels them to reconsider their priorities.
“Why would someone play five-day cricket and get five lakh rupees and today play T20 cricket and get 50 lakhs? Players who have not made it to international cricket are getting 7-10 crores,” he explained.
Most top Test-playing nations now have their own franchise-based T20 competition, with India leading the way with the world's most popular tournament, the IPL.
Yuvraj even expressed his reservations about the 50-over format. ODI cricket will similarly struggle to find mental space, according to the 2011 ODI World Cup Player of the Tournament.
“You watch a T20 game and then watch a 50-over game – it looks like a Test match now. After 20 overs, they are like, ‘There are 30 overs to bat!’,” said Yuvraj. “So, definitely T20 is taking over everything.”
In June of this year, Yuvraj declared his retirement. In 40 Tests, 308 ODIs, and 58 T20Is, the left-hander scored 1900, 8701, and 1177 runs, respectively. He has also taken 148 international wickets.
