What was being refereed to in hush -hush circles, would now indeed become a cause of much public debate, after Chris Gayle make it candidly clear that he does not fancy playing in a test cricket series than say in a T20 tournament. After all, who would like to sit through out a day and watch a batsman defend a bowler without scoring a run for the better part of the day?
It may have had its romance when the television had not made its debut as an instrument to popularize sports and people had quite a lot of time at leisure. In the present time of "instant" things, test cricket does not have a place at all. Gate collections and revenue from advertisements during test matches when compared with the revenue compared with that generated when a one day match or a 20-20 match is played, would illustrate this point in stark reality.
After all if there would not be a viewer to watch the match for who would it is played for? Sports as a specter finds its relevance only because it is patronized by the aficionados in a certain manner, as the preference s and the choices change game also has to adapt to it. This is what Gayle has also been emphasizing by showing his preference for T-20 than a test match. It is altogether a different thing that it his peers from West Indies who had brought an element of romance into test cricket, but after they bowed out the subsequent players who donned the West Indian colors have not been able to live up to the charm.
It is the same with other countries of the world which are still groping for answers to test cricket. All the players who are playing in all the teams have their exposure been tempered to the likes of one-day cricket in such a manner that they approach the test cricket as well as if they are playing in one day cricket.
Gautam Gambhir has however showed the way and he could be a good example for other players who may aspire to play in all the forms of game. Test cricket after all, tests the grit of the player, and by his grit combined with innovation he can make it as exciting as a one-day or a 20-20 match.
