Team India skipper Rohit Sharma has hailed the Board of Control for Cricket in India's (BCCI) move to introduce a 'Test Cricket Incentive Scheme'. With an aim to recognise the efforts of players prioritisng the oldest and the longest format of the game and to promote and encourage the longest format of the game amongst youngsters and those wanting to play for the country in the future, TCIS comes as a welcome change given the focus of players shifting to the IPL with the sums of money involved.
"Test cricket was & will be the ultimate format and it’s great to see @BCCI & @JayShah leading the way in prioritizing Test cricket," Rohit said on Twitter (now X) a day after his side sealed a 4-1 Test series win against England in Dharamsala. India beat England by an innings and 64 runs in the series finale.
As per the scheme, the players playing more than 50 per cent of the Test matches in a season will be paid double match fees of what they are paid currently per game. So, for example, if a player is playing 5-6 games out of nine in a season, he will be paid INR 30 Lakh if he is part of the playing XI and if not then the amount of INR 15 Lakh remains the same. Similarly, if a player features in 7 or more games out of the supposed nine, he will be paid INR 45 Lakh and if not part of the playing XI then INR 22.5 Lakh per match.
"This innovative scheme is a testament to BCCI's commitment to recognizing and rewarding the efforts of our players, fostering a sense of financial security and motivation to excel in Test cricket," BCCI said in a release. Reacting to the same during the post-match press conference, head coach Rahul Dravid saw it more as a recognition than a financial incentive and hoped that's the case with players too.
“I really hope money is not going to be the incentive to play Tests. It’s just nice that how tough Test cricket can be is being recognised. So, I wouldn’t see it as an incentive to make people play Test cricket, I hope not. I hope it never really comes to that. But I think it is just probably a recognition that this is a tough format,” Dravid said on Saturday, March 9.
