Copy India's ambition to be the best: Ian Chappell's advice to keep Test cricket alive

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Former Australia captain Ian Chappell urged the other Test-playing nations to learn from India's quest to become the best Test-playing nation after South Africa floundered in their three-match Test series against Virat Kohli & Co.

The Proteas were blown away in the three-match Test series as India whitewashed Faf du Plessis's team and achieved a first of such feat over the South Africans in Test cricket.

The visitors looked out of their depth despite a bright start in the first Test at Vizag but any sense of resistance soon failed and they ended up suffering huge losses in the following games in Pune and Ranchi.

Following the drubbing, India opened up a huge 180-point lead at the top of the World Test Championship with second-placed New Zealand sitting on 60 points while India sit pretty on 240 after five games.

And, South Africa's hammering has got Chappell worried about Test cricket as it continues to lose its charm due to the lack of competitiveness.

"South Africa's demise is ominous for the Test match version of the game. Test cricket is a great format, but only if the teams are competitive. Test cricket relies heavily on a good contest to be entertaining and exciting."

"If South Africa's slide is a long-term affliction - and judging by their batting in India, this could well be the case - then that leaves three teams, India, Australia and England in the strong category, with New Zealand just below that standard. 

"The rest of the Test teams have a lot of ground to make up in order to be regarded as strong performers in all conditions. This is far from ideal when Test cricket already has many challenges in trying to attract fans to stadiums," Chappell wrote in his column for espncricinfo.

The 76-year-old praised the domestic structure of India, Australia and England and added that teams should follow the blueprint and look to copy India in their urge to achieving excellence in the longest format of the game.

"The common thread between the three strong nations is a robust first-class competition, which ensures a pipeline that continues to provide good players, with the odd star performer.

"If Test cricket is to be a viable part of the game's future, the standard of play needs to remain high. Whilst it's true India - with a large talent pool, unlimited finances and the IPL - has a huge advantage, it's their attitude towards achieving excellence that should be copied by any team with an ambition to be the best," he further added.