Test cricket will die if India abandon it: Greg Chappell
Australian legend Greg Chappell believes Test cricket is sustained only by the top-ranked nations, otherwise it will perish soon. He reiterated none of the countries except India, Australia and England encourage youngsters to play the longest format these days. The 71-year-old also opened up on his controversial coaching stint, stating he continues to relish the golden days. Here is more.
"Test cricket will die the day India gives it up. I cannot see countries other than India, Australia and England investing in young cricketers to take up Test cricket," Chappell said during a chat session with Playwrite Foundation on Tuesday.
Team India recently lost the number one spot in Test cricket to Australia. India are now the third-placed side with New Zealand holding the second position. Australia lead the ICC Test Rankings with 116 rating points.
Chappell explained he is not against the idea of scaling up T20 cricket through leagues. However, he wants Test cricket to hold its importance. "I have nothing against T20s. For Tests, the monetary issue is going to be massive. But at the same time, Indian captain Virat Kohli calls Test cricket the ultimate format, so there is hope that it will survive," he said.
Following Greg Chappell's appointment as the Indian head coach in 2005, reports of his duel with then-captain Sourav Ganguly emerged. Ganguly was later sacked as captain and dropped from the Indian squad. Moreover, Rahul Dravid was named the Indian skipper across all formats. However, Team India's debacle in the 2007 World Cup made Chappell resign from the post, soon after.
Chappell described how he thought of introducing new methods during his stint. "The greatest challenge for me was to refresh the team while it had some of the greatest players of the era and hopefully establish the next champions of Indian cricket," he said. He added, "To be fair, that team was one of the greatest, but it hadn't achieved what it should have."
