Idea Exchange: Sunil Gavaskar’s big statement on the future of Test cricket, also told the way to get West Indies out of the crisis

Little Master Sunil Gavaskar talks about the future of Test cricket and the difficult times West Indies cricket is going through in The Indian Express’s Idea Exchange. Regarding the future of Test cricket, he said that some countries may play only white ball cricket in the coming times. Red ball cricket may be limited to some countries. A team can play test series only abroad.

In the days of Gavaskar, the Caribbean team was in power in world cricket. The team did not lose any match in the first two World Cups. She played the final in 1983 as well. India became the champion and defeated the Caribbean team twice. Sunil Gavaskar was also a part of that team led by Kapil Dev. Today the condition of that Caribbean team is such that it will not be seen in the ODI World Cup to be held in India in October-November. In the qualifiers in Zimbabwe, they lost to teams such as the Netherlands and Scotland. Little Master said that the situation can be improved by increasing the match fee and paying on the basis of performance.

Will test cricket be limited to 4-5 teams?

Sunil Gavaskar was asked whether Test cricket will be limited to 4-5 teams due to the rapid growth of T20 leagues? Answering this question, Gavaskar said, “There is a strong possibility of this happening. In future, a team like New Zealand may play Test cricket overseas but not as much at home. This is because they will not get support from the crowd. People will not watch the match. There are currently 12 teams playing Test cricket, but I believe in the long run Afghanistan, Ireland and Zimbabwe may be interested in playing only Whites cricket.”

What did Sunil Gavaskar say about West Indies cricket

Regarding West Indies cricket, Sunil Gavaskar was asked what is your opinion on the Caribbean team not being able to qualify for the World Cup? How can the team overcome the crisis? Responding to this, Gavaskar said, “It is where I went on my first tour and I know a lot of people there. I am aware of his cricketing legacy. The temperament there is very relaxed, which is great but when it comes to playing, that temperament sometimes doesn’t get you results.”

Should be paid based on performance

Gavaskar further said, “It was a wonderful era of West Indies Test cricket when Clive Lloyd, Malcolm Marshall, Viv Richards, Andy Roberts, Michael Holdings, Joel Garner were playing. He used to earn extra from every test match. Today, be it Test or T20, players all over the world get guaranteed central contracts. The nature of West Indies players is such that if they have money in the bank then runs or wickets don’t matter to them. My suggestion would be to increase the Test match fee but not give him a central contract. You should be paid based on your performance. Then maybe their attitude would be different.”