Team India coach Ravi Shastri joined the list of detractors who are strictly against ICC's idea of experimenting with Test cricket by introducing four-day Tests. With the cricket's governing body set to discuss the idea in their meeting in March, Shastri now joins the likes of Virat Kohli, Faf du Plessis, Sachin Tendulkar among others, who are against the reduction of a day from the longest format of the game.
Speaking to CNN News 18, Sahstri termed the idea as 'non-sense' and said that if at all four-day Test has to be introduced, then it should be played among teams that are ranked lower than sixth in the ICC rankings.
"Four day Test is nonsense," he said. "If this goes on we may have limited overs Tests. There is no need to tamper with five-day Tests. If at all they want to tamper then let the top six sides play five-day Tests and the next six be allowed to play four-day Tests. If you want preserve Tests then let the top six play more against each other. You have the shorter format to popularise the game," Shastri said.
"Four-day Tests? Look, I'm not a fan of [it]. "I think the intent will not be right then because then you will speak of three-day Tests, where do you end? Then you speak of Test cricket disappearing. I don't endorse that at all.
"I don't think that's fair to the purest format of the game - how cricket started initially and five-day Test matches was the highest of tests you can have at the international level. According to me, it shouldn't be altered," Kohli said when asked abut four-day Tests before India's first T20I against Sri Lanka in Guwahati.
Shastri also said that the 'pink ball' needs further work and crowd will turn up to watch Test cricket if the competition is even.
India played their first-ever Day-Night Test last year against Bangladesh in Kolkata and convincingly won the tie within three days but Shastri said that the ball needs to be right for that format to flourish.
"Day-night Test is still under test. I still feel that pink ball does not give any advantage to spinners, they need to get the ball right for day night. During the day you have full Tests, by night it looks like half Test," said Shastri.
"I still feel that you will get more people to watch Tests if you have the top six play each other (more often)," he added.
