India won the Test series 2-0.
Yes, you read that right! According to Ravichandran Ashwin, Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) are not just things that should be limited to corporates anymore. The former Indian off-spinner has come up with a very unique suggestion, and wants the International Cricket Council (ICC) to prepare a checklist which teams can follow in Test cricket.
More than the action on the five days of a Test match, these SOPs would guide a team on the road to their preparation for a particular series away from home. This comes after the two-match Test series between the West Indies and India. The Windies showed some fight in the second innings of the second Test, but it was a bit too late.
Ravichandran Ashwin highlighted the importance of preparation for a touring team, especially the ones that are struggling to make ends meet. He further went on to state that the visiting teams must play a couple of practice games before the series – something that the ICC needs to put under SOPs.
With the franchise leagues kicking in, Test cricket is losing its essence. Though most of the players and the fans hail Test cricket as the pinnacle of the game, the window for a team to prepare ahead of a series is slowly shredding, which is a worrying sign. Somewhere or the other, franchise league commitments do play a certain role in the ecosystem.
The West Indies squad arrived in India after most of their players playing the Caribbean Premier League (CPL). To add to that, the practice time which they got before the first Test in Ahmedabad was too less for a team to prepare for a two-match series. The first Test was played in Ahmedabad, where the wicket had something in it for new ball bowlers as well as the spinners.
As a result, Ravichandran Ashwin expressed that the West Indies side was underprepared to take India on. Before they could adapt to the conditions and the pitch, it was too late and the hosts scalped the game by an innings.
“If the ICC are very serious about Test cricket as administrators, where are the SOPs? If a team is touring, there must be a fixed number of games they will have to play as practice in order to get used to the conditions. This should be strictly followed especially for teams who are not in the top four or five”, said Ashwin on his YouTube channel.
ALSO READ:
A few years ago, former India skipper Virat Kohli stated in a press conference that the BCCI should focus on building five Test match centres in the country. This would allow the home team to exert a greater advantage in the battle. Teams like Australia have fixated five Test venues, which help them ascertain how the pitches will play at all times.
For example, India will be playing one of their Test matches against South Africa in Guwahati. Now since the hosts aren’t aware of how the wicket will play at the venue, it will be as good as a neutral venue. And this is exactly why India will lose the advantage of having played a Test match at home. It is not about the crowd, but the familiarity of the pitches at the venue.
Ravichandran Ashwin voiced his concerns about the same and also expressed that he agrees with what Kohli mentioned a few years ago. Moreover, Ashwin believes that it is high time for the BCCI to think about adopting the structure, as it will help the development of Test cricket in the country.
For more updates, follow CricXtasy on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.
