Twenty20 or Tests?

From Siddhant Pradhan, India
After coming home from school, I try to catch the highlights of the Test series between India and Asutralia. However, I have found it increasingly difficult to do this as my cable operator has changed the channel to air the ICL.

On the morning of the third day of the final Test, I woke up to find that the ICL highlights are being aired instead of the Test match. One evening I called my friend to find out the score at stumps and he replies by saying "I only watch twenty-twenty." I am forced to call my friends because there is no radio commentary either.

I live in Mumbai where cricket is life for a lot of people. The crowds at the stadium in Nagpur have been appalling. Is this really the beginning of the end for Test cricket in this country? The chatter around school is not of the ongoing Test series between India and Australia but of the upcoming Champions League. For people of my generation, twenty-twenty is the version that demands most attention. I am also one of the few people of my age that would prefer a hard fought Test match to a high octane, high scoring and short Twenty20 match for the simple reason that in Test cricket the tension builds up over the five days rather than a climax reached within 3 hours.

The third day's play of the final Test obviously did not help the cause but the tactical battle between Dhoni and the Australians still appealed to me over the ICL game played later that night. I see nothing wrong with Twenty20 except for the simple reason that too much money and time has been invested in a format that is not able to sustain tension. The BCCI has not helped matters much by reducing the number of Tests being played in India during the season.

Having England over for 7 ODI's and 2 tests is a waste as Test cricket as a big team like England ought to have a tougher test on this tour. Having said that, I am still looking forward to the one-day series between the two teams. I will continue watching Test cricket and have already got tickets for the Test in Mumbai from the 19th of December.

Hopefully, Mumbai will have a larger turn out than the test in Nagpur. If it does not, we could well be mourning the death of Test cricket in a country where cricketers are larger than life characters.