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Friday, 29 March 2024

India captain Kohli no fan of four-day test concept

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India captain Kohli no fan of four-day test concept
India captain Kohli no fan of four-day test concept

Virat Kohli speaks out against the prospect of test matches being reduced to four days from five.

SHOWS: LONDON, ENGLAND, UK (FILE AUGUST 2018) (ACTION IMAGES VIA REUTERS PICTURES - ACCESS ALL) (MUTE) 1.

STILL - INDIA CAPTAIN VIRAT KOHLI DURING TEST MATCH AGAINST ENGLAND AT LORDS CRICKET GROUND GUWAHATI, ASSAM, INDIA (JANUARY 04, 2020) (ANI - NO USE INDIA) 2.

(SOUNDBITE) (English) INDIAN CRICKET CAPTAIN, VIRAT KOHLI, SAYING: "With test cricket I don't think that you know with day-night test is the most that should be changed about test cricket according to me." 3.

WHITE FLASH 4.

(SOUNDBITE) (English) INDIAN CRICKET CAPTAIN, VIRAT KOHLI, SAYING: "I mean then you are purely only talking about getting numbers in and entertainment and you know I think the intent will not be right then because then you'll speak of three-day test I mean where do you end?

Then you will speak of test cricket disappearing so I don't endorse that at all.

I don't think that that is fair to the purest format of the game, how cricket started initially and you know five-day test matches was the highest of tests you can have at the international level so according to me it should not be altered." BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND, UK (FILE AUGUST 2018) (ACTION IMAGES VIA REUTERS PICTURES - ACCESS ALL) (MUTE) 5.

STILL - KOHLI AFTER THE TEST MATCH AGAINST ENGLAND AT EDGBASTON STORY: India captain Virat Kohli does not endorse the idea of reducing test matches to four-day affairs and on Saturday (January 4) warned administrators against tinkering too much with the purest format of the game.

The International Cricket Council (ICC), the world governing body of the sport, is set to reflect on the idea of making test matches four-day affairs to free up a crammed international calendar and reduce player workload.

Australia have said they will seriously consider the concept, while England will back making it mandatory from 2023.

The cash-rich Indian board (BCCI) are yet to declare their stance on the matter.

Australia test captain Tim Paine has been joined by his team mates Travis Head and Nathan Lyon in criticising the idea.

Four-day matches were given the green light by the ICC in 2017, when South Africa hosted one against Zimbabwe, while England played a four-day test against Ireland last July.

With an increasing number of test matches ending prematurely, the administrators are keen to free up more space in the schedules for lucrative shorter-form matches.

In November, India became the latest major cricket playing nation to embrace day-night tests when the Eden Gardens in Kolkata hosted Bangladesh.

Kohli, one of the best batsmen of his generation, feels innovations in the longest format should end at pink-ball test matches.

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