India Captain Virat Kohli Warns Against Tinkering With Test Cricket

Even as cricket's world governing body, the International Cricket Council (ICC), is exploring means to spice up Test cricket to help it stay relevant, India captain Virat Kohli has warned against tinkering with the traditional format of the game.

With its dwindling fortunes, Test cricket has become the sport's proverbial 'endangered species'. And coupled it with one-sided matches failing to last the full days, the ICC is considering to compress it to four days. It's one of the many changes the ICC is looking forward to implementing in the coming days.

But Kohli, the top-ranked Test batsman, has said Test is "the most beautiful format of the game," adding that "it's going to go anywhere," let alone "getting compressed to four days."

The 29-year-old has been one of most prolific scorers in Test cricket in the last few years. After making a rather poor start to his Test career, Kohli has so far scored 6147 runs in 71 matches at an average of 53.92, with the help of 23 hundreds and 19 fifties.

"I cannot explain to you the job satisfaction that you get when you do well in Test cricket, because you know how demanding it is," Kohli told 'Wisden'.

Asked if he looks at the proposed four-day Test matches as a backward step, India's batting mainstay said, "Definitely. It should not be tinkered with."

The increasing number of T20 leagues around the world has posed a threat to the traditional five-day format, with the ODIs close to facing an existential crisis. In fact, the ICC has used the last year's South Africa-Zimbabwe match in Port Elizabeth as a trial for the four-day Test.

"In a few countries, yes. It all depends on the awareness of people who watch the game. If you take a country like South Africa or Australia or England, they have big crowds for Test matches because people understand the sport.

"It's literally living life over five days. There are so many ups and downs and even when you've done well you've got to keep coming back and doing it all over again.

"I think that if you really understand the sport, if you really love the sport, you understand Test cricket and you understand how exciting it is. I cannot explain to you the job satisfaction that you get when you do well in Test cricket, because you know how demanding it is."

The ICC will introduce a nine-team two-year Test world championship in 2019, alongside a 13-team ODI league.

Kohli is in favour of the forthcoming Test championship. 

"I think that is going to give a huge push to Test cricket. It makes every series more competitive, and there's going to be ups and downs throughout the Championship, which I really look forward to. The teams that love playing Test cricket are always going to be passionate about it.

"And it also depends on the system you have back home as well. If you're not going to give more importance to first-class cricket, then people are going to lose motivation to play the longest format of the game.

"And with the T20 format coming in I think there's far greater responsibility on all the cricket boards across the world to treat first-class cricket really well, because if the facilities and the standard go up, then the motivation always stays."

The prolific scorer said predecessor Mahendra Singh Dhoni is the only captain he has picked up aspects of leadership from.

"Not really anyone before MS. I was always someone who kept talking to him about the game so even when I was really young before I was made vice-captain, I would give him my suggestions.

"I love thinking about the game and that's why I enjoy captaincy so much and I enjoy chasing totals so much – I love using my brain to figure out what needs to be done during the game.

"I've learned the most from MS, standing so close to him at slip so many times and just observing him at close quarters."

He scored 593 runs at 59.30 in the Test series against England, which India lost 1-4 to the hosts.