‘Tests should be reduced to four-day games’: Dilip Vengsarkar calls for Four-Day Test matches

The recent India Test matches have all been wrapped up in three days. This prompted former India captain Dilip Vengsarkar to claim that now Test matches should officially be reduced to 4 days. He further argued that having one day less in the red-ball format of the game would also help make it less financially draining for other Test playing Nations.

Team India recently lost 3-0 to New Zealand. Amidst the whitewash drubbing, a key factor of the matches was all the games were concluded in just three days with the pitches being tuning tracks. While the Bengaluru Test carried on for 4 days, the first day was completely washed off making it a three-day match.

Apart from Test matches finishing early, the former India captain also brought out the financial drain on the affiliated boards. He claimed that apart from India, England, and Australia, none of the other nations can boast of having a good financial setup. This means a Test match having a less day, can be a bit economical.

“Tests should be reduced to four-day games because most of the matches are getting over in under four days. Also, most of the affiliated boards of the International Cricket Council (ICC), apart from India, Australia, and England, are not in good financial condition, so four-day Tests could save them some expenses. It is financially draining and too expensive for a team like West Indies to travel for Test matches to the rest of the world,” Dilip Vengsarkar told The Times of India.

Teams have been preparing tracks according to their likings so as to get a place in the World Test Championship (WTC) Finals. Teams of the Indian sub-continent prefer to bring out spinning tracks while SENA countries roll out bouncy pitches which go well with their style of play.

Stats show that the last 25 Test matches in India went over majorly in three days (12 matches), 7 games were concluded in 4 days while the Pink Ball Test against England in Ahmedabad was concluded in just 2 days.