Ravichandran Ashwin opined on ‘fewer test centres’ after Green Park drainage failure

New Delhi: Star India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin acknowledged the fact that having a limited number of Test centers would help the players, but wisely said that he is above his pay grade to comment on the matter. The Green Park Stadium in Kanpur has come under fire for its poor drainage system, which resulted in a two-day loss in the second Test, sparking a debate.

Although India won the game by seven wickets through tactical skills, the problem needs to be addressed. A few years ago, ace batsman Virat Kohli suggested that India should own five major Test centers like Australia and England. Speaking about the same at the end of the day’s play, Ashwin said, “Does it help a player if you have some test centres? Most certainly it does. “

“Because when we go to Australia, they play India in only five Test centres. They won’t play us in Canberra. They don’t play us at other venues where they are not as familiar with the conditions. And so is England. They have selected test centers and they play there. Some of them are only white-ball centers. Can we do it here (in India)? That is above my pay grade. I can’t comment on that,’ said Ashwin, who was adjudged Player of the Series. PTI.

For the uninitiated, the advantage of playing only at selected Test centers is that the players are familiar with the ground conditions and know exactly what to do in a particular venue.

Talking about the two great Test playing nations, Australia and England, the Aussies follow the tradition of playing in Melbourne, Sydney, Perth, Brisbane and Adelaide, while England choose London, Birmingham, Nottingham, Manchester and Edgbaston as their main Tests. centers.

Ashwin is the opposite.

Before opining about the benefit of having fewer Test venues, Ashwin explained how playing at different venues in the Test format would benefit the game. He said the first benefit of having so many Test centers is that cricketers come from every nook and corner of the country to play Tests.

“It (India) is a big country and it has inspired that kind of urgency and that kind of passion in cricketers to come and play for this country. That’s a big plus.

The second is a wake-up call to state cricket officials that stadiums are not in the specifics. He said there are some ingredients to make a test happen. “We need to be able to invest in climate and drainage. There is no need to overlook any of this’ asserted Ashwin and made it clear that there should be no compromise on vital facilities.